To Be a Sanada
by Mitsukai20
Summary: AU. After finding out the secret to his parentage, Kirihara Akaya realizes that his life is about to get different when he finds that his parents are closer to him than he thought. A spinoff series from Family History. Rikkai-centric, standard pairings
1. Complaints and Insecurity

I'm starting another series again, and this time, it's a spinoff from my oneshot '**Family History**', in which Akaya is... well, I'm not saying anything that can spoil the other oneshot, but you may want to read that first before you start with this one. But this could act as a stand alone, but I would definitely recommend that you read my oneshot first, just so you won't get confused in the later chapters. (yes, I'm shamelessly advertising my own fanfics)

Basically, this is the start of Akaya's new life as he found out the truth about his parents. Most of these are basically oneshots, interconnected in some ways, focusing on Akaya's dynamics with his newly discovered family. Because face it, life is about to get different when you would find that your parents are not as they seem to be.

Warnings and Disclaimers: Not mine. Shounen-ai, fluff, some angst, implied Mpreg, established Alpha Pair, some typos, maybe OOC

* * *

**Spinoff I: Complaints and Insecurity**

Ever since Kirihara Akaya found out that he was, literally, the heir of the Rikkaidai tennis club 'throne', being the biological son of the current captain and vice-captain, the way the club members acted around him changed quite a bit.

The most obvious ones were his parents themselves. Yukimura Seiichi, or should he say, Sanada Seiichi, the club team captain and his birth… 'mother', was openly affectionate and protective of him, frequently checking on him whenever he was alone, asking if he had done his homework, or if he had eaten his meals properly. While the thought of having his mother a year older than him still weirded him out, he had learned to accept it, seeing as the captain was a nurturing type of person from the very start… if you call sending another person on the brink of death frequently nurturing.

His father, Sanada Genichirou, was another story entirely. The way the older teen had acted hadn't changed in the slightest. In fact, his father was pushing him harder than ever, being stricter with him than with any other regular. With every passing practice he would found himself bruised and aching all over. Once, when his mother was placing an ice pack on his arm, he ranted and raved on how cruel and heartless his father was to him. The captain merely smiled in bemusement, listening quietly as his son screamed his frustrations out in the locker rooms.

"Why, Okaa-san?" He pouted, wincing in surprise as the cold compress was applied to his cheek. "Why is Otou-san so hard on me?"

"He's hard on you because he loves you, sweetie." The blue-haired captain explained gently to him, taking care to treat every bruise he could see on his son's body. Now that he was no longer restricted by his secret, he could act as the mother that he was, already taking over Jackal's job of taking care of Akaya, as he always wanted to do. "Every father dreams of having their son surpass them in everything. That's why he's trying so hard to make one of the best."

"But he's too strict on me! Ow!" Akaya bit his lip as Yukimura washed his face carefully with a wet cloth. The captain stopped immediately, looking worried but Akaya quickly assured him, and so he continued, more slowly this time.

"Remember this, Akaya." The hand washing his face stopped and Akaya looked at his mother, who was gazing at him tenderly, a soft smile on his face.

"Your father wouldn't do something unless he was sure that you could handle it. He's strict on your training because he is confident of your skills, and that you could surpass him, no _us_, with the right guidance. We believe that you could be the best, but if you don't have the right attitude about it, that could be your vey downfall. So he tries, very hard, to be not a father to you whenever we're in training. But he loves you very much Akaya, possibly more than you can imagine."

Akaya found it hard to believe in his mother's words. But Yukimura stayed silent after that, going back to taking care of his son, letting the younger boy mull over his words.

Time passed, and Akaya found himself feeling drowsy.

"I'm," He pasued and yawned, making the older teen look at him. "feeling tired… suddenly…"

"Sleepy already, Akaya?" Yukimura asked softly, the musical tenor of his voice lulling Akaya into unconsciousness.

"No…" Akaya protested, but the state of his droopy eyelids told the captain otherwise. "I'm… not… sleepy… at all…"

Yukimura chuckled as the other teen swayed and finally started to fall backwards, already out like a light. He gasped in slight alarm and tried to catch his sleeping son… only to see a pair of arms holding Akaya securely.

He sighed in relief and looked up, already knowing who the person was.

"Genichirou."

"Honestly…" Sanada muttered, shifting the younger teen to the bench carefully. "He's too laidback." He took off his jacket and covered the sleeping teen, who was snoring soundly, quite dead to the world. "He'll get laps for this tomorrow."

Yukimura smiled affectionately at his spouse, then at his son. "But I have to admit, he reminds me of you when _you're_ asleep, Genichirou."

"Don't be ridiculous, Seiichi." The vice captain huffed, leaning against the lockers, staring at the younger teen. "He still has a lot to learn. This is only the beginning of his training."

"So you heard our conversation, am I correct?" Amusement started to creep into the captain's voice. "How much did you hear?"

"Apparently, I'm a 'cold, heartless monster who took on the form of a human so I could laugh at his misery'." Sanada quoted, looking mildly annoyed. "For god's sake, he has quite an imagination for a thirteen year old."

"You're right." Yukimura started to chuckle again, earning a doleful look from his vice-captain. "Did it bother you?"

Sanada was silent for a moment. Then, he said quietly, "I would be lying if I said I wasn't."

Yukimura stopped and gazed at the other teen, who wasn't looking at him, but at their son.

"Tell me, Seiichi. Was I… too hard on him? Did I… make him hate me?" Sanada had his head bowed, his expression hidden by his hat.

"Genichirou…" Yukimura blinked in surprise. What was Sanada trying to say?

"I… want him to be the best. I want him to reach greater heights. He has so much to give, and I was trying to help with that. Are my methods wrong, Seiichi? Have I driven him away?"

"What are you talking about, Genichirou?" Yukimura stood up and approached the other teen, touching his arm lightly. "All of us understand that that is your true nature. Akaya, of all people, would know that side of you."

"I'm afraid, Seiichi." His answer was barely audible. "I'm afraid that he might hate me. Finally we have him by our side again after all these years, but I don't know how to react around him anymore now that he knows who we really are. Should I be lenient? Should I be strict? Am I doing something wrong? Is the thing I'm doing right? My mind is always running with these questions, and I don't know how to answer them." He turned to his spouse, looking anguished.

"I don't want to lose him again, Seiichi. The first time hurt too much. I can't bear that kind of pain again. If I lose our son again… I don't know what I would do."

"Honestly, Genichirou, you worry too much." A pair of hands touched his face and he looked up to see the captain smiling at him. "Akaya loves you. He may not know it consciously, but the way he strives continuously to win your approval is the proof of that. He tries his best in everything not only because he wants to prove himself, but also because he knows that his achievements would make you proud of him. He grew up to be a brat, but remember, he's _our_ brat." Blue eyes twinkled mischievously. "But if you really feel that way… we _could_ always create another child…" He teased lightly.

"Who would turn out, again, like Akaya." Sanada deadpanned, covering the hand on his cheek with his own. He sighed deeply. "Maybe I'm just worrying too much."

"Now that's better, my husband." Yukimura answered back with his light, teasing tone, slightly pinching the other teen's cheeks. "You already look older than your age as it is. Worrying would make lines appear on your face, and as far as I remember, the person I love is Sanada Genichirou, not his grandfather."

"That may be right." Sanada's lips quirked into a small smile. "I'm sorry for worrying you, my wife."

"Then stop those thoughts of yours, my husband." Yukimura then dropped his previous tone, turning serious.

"Never doubt our love for you. No matter what kind of things he would say, Akaya is your son, through and through. He may be stubborn, spoiled and whiny, but he knows when to stop and where to draw the line. You never abandoned him, even as his senpai and his vice-captain and had always looked after him, in your own way. You're a great father Genichirou." Yukimura smiled slightly. "You're my vice-captain, the man I love, the person that I chose to be the father of my child. Do you really think that I would settle for the second-best, when I have you with me?"

"You flatter me too much." Snada turned his face so he could press a kiss to a creamy wrist. "But… thank you."

"Roasted meat!" A sudden shout startled both of them and they both turned simultaneously to the teen on the bench, who was still sleeping soundly.

"No… not that… anything but that…" Akaya muttered before snorting loudly, causing Yukimura to giggle and Sanada to roll his eyes. Akaya turned to his side and slept on, oblivious to the two sets of eyes that were gazing at him with tenderness.

"I wonder what he's dreaming about right now…" Yukimura left his spouse's side, still giggling, to kneel beside the bench, kissing Akaya on the forehead. "It's about time we bring him back to the Kirihara's, don't you think? They would worry about him."

"Ah." Sanada moved forward and lifted the second year easily, and, with Yukimura's help, settled him in his usual place at Sanada's back. Akaya instinctively snuggled to the warmth, wrapping his arms around the capped teen's neck.

"Papa…" He muttered, causing both of his parents to stop in slight surprise. Then Yukimura suddenly smiled.

"Let's go, Genichirou."

Sanada looked back to the sleeping teen behind his back, a small smile betraying his stoic features.

"Yeah, let's."

* * *

This could be it, but I might add in additional oneshots, depending on the readers. I also might add the other schools in this spinoff as well, as well other pairs and their... 'children'.

So, reviews and constructed criticism appreciated.

_Mitsukai20_


	2. Who Do You Love More?

It's a drabble this time, folks. It's based on what kids usually ask their parents. No, it's not the 'where do babies come from' question. I might include the other teams in the next spinoff, keep your fingers crossed.

Warnings and Disclaimers: same as the first chapter.

* * *

**Spinoff II: Who Do You Love More?**

During tennis practice, Akaya came up with a rather interesting question.

"Okaa-san, you love me, right?" He asked one day out of the blue, causing the said mother to look at him, rather surprised at the sudden question.

"Now what has brought this on, Akaya?" Yukimura Seiichi, his captain, asked in all curiousness, his surprise abating slightly.

"No reason." The second year quickly shrugged his shoulders in a non-committal fashion… which the older teen didn't buy at all. "I just wanted to ask, that's all."

"Well, of course. You're my son, after all." A soft, white hand ruffled the dark, curly hair. Yukimura giggled when the younger teen pouted and tried to swat the offending hand away.

"And you love Otou-san too, right?" Akaya continued carefully, watching his mother's reaction.

"Of course. He's your father." Now Yukimura was starting to get perplexed by the sudden questions. What does loving both of them have to do with Akaya?

"Then…" Akaya suddenly had a serious and oddly determined look on his face.

"Who do you love more? Me, or Otou-san?"

… _Oh_. Yukimura stopped, speechless. So _this_ was the problem. He read situations like these in the books he read while he was pregnant, but he really hadn't expected it to happen to _him_, of all people. But Akaya looked so obstinately determined to know the answer, his brow furrowed, leaning forward in interest. So Yukimura sighed, a small smile flitting on his gentle features.

"Oh, my. That's a hard one to answer, I'm afraid." He answered ruefully.

"Why is it hard? You only have to choose between me and Otou-san, after all."

"Akaya, honey, that's what makes it hard." Yukimura explained patiently. "You see, that way I love you and the way I love your father are different."

"How is that different?" Akaya has his brow furrowed in confusion.

Yukimura, again, sighed. "You'll understand better when you're older, Akaya." He replied back, patting his son on the head.

-/-

"And? What did you answer?" Sanada asked with a keenness that was unusual to see on his normally stoic features, despite the disinterested tone that he used. Yukimura blinked, staring at his spouse…

Only to end up in a fit of giggles.

"How childish of you to ask that, Genichirou." He chuckled. "It's unlike you to be jealous of your own son."

"Of course." The capped teen looked like a peacock whose feathers were ruffled, but it only increased the captain's amusement. "Unless that special person comes in his life, men are bound to love their mothers first of all." Sanada deadpanned with complete certainty in his voice. "It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he's competing with me for your affections."

"Jealousy really doesn't suit you, Genichirou." Yukimura continued to giggle. "You know that Akaya isn't like that. But I have to admit, I didn't expect him to ask that question." The captain sighed. "But it's a good thing that Akaya is still innocent about romantic love. Goodness knows what would happen if he realizes his own feelings about Renji…"

Sanada visibly stiffened. "Akaya is a hundred years too early to be falling in love with someone else." He said this with a quiet fierceness, with a tone of protectiveness that was quite unlike his character. "Renji will walk over my dead body before he could take my son out for a date."

Yukimura looked at his spouse, amusement overlapping with a degree of exasperation. And to think that it should be him that's acting this way…

"Genichirou, you know that Renji is willing to wait for Akaya to grow up. He's not going to do anything to our son, at least, not _yet_." Sanada visibly blanched at the thought. Yukimura paused, before reaching up to touch his spouse's cheek.

"You're acting like an overprotective father over his only girl." He teased lightly. Sanada kept silent, and while vice captain definitely _wasn't_ pouting, the captain begged to differ. "You know that the fandom has decided our fates from the beginning of the series. That's how I got pregnant in the first place, after all. Akaya w_ill_ end up with Renji… whether you approve of it or not."

"… I just don't want my son to be hurt." Sanada finally muttered. Yukimura sighed again, smiling slightly at his husband. "We've known Renji ever since we were kids. Do you really think that he could bear to hurt his best friend's son, even as a friend?"

"Even still," The vice captain was obstinate. "The only time that I would allow Akaya to date is when he's finally out of college."

"Oh Gen…" The captain finally laughed at that.

"I don't know whether to say that Akaya is lucky or cursed that he has such an overprotective father."

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Props to anyone who could tell me what anime I based this scene on. Reviews much appreciated.

_Mitsukai20_


	3. The Start of the Tournament

And here we are with another spinoff. This actually the first to a series of spinoff about the tournament arc. And also, I'm going to reveal another one of the team families, though I think that this is probably obvious already. The time here isn't specified, since this fic requires a lot of mind screw for it to work canonically, so you could decide for yourself if you want the setting to be at the Kantou, the Nationals or just basically make your own.

Warnings: Same as first chapter.

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**Spinoff III-A: The Start of the Tournament**

It was his first official tournament as Sanada Akaya, and, needless to say, he was feeling both excited and pressured at the same time.

Excited because it was, again, another chance to show the world how much he grew in skill and technique, as well as to prove his team's strength to the nation. He would be facing off with some old rivals again, and he was looking forward to defeating them all soundly in a fair and square tennis match.

… Which eventually led to his feelings of strain and anxiety. Now that he knows that he's both a Yukimura _and_ a Sanada, he tried to improve as fast as he can, taking his teams' Spartan training with a sound of complaint, as he pushed himself well to his limits. It would be unforgivable, as the son of the most talented players of the middle school circuit, to lose to a mere nobody. While his parents made it clear that they didn't want too much from him, only that they want him to be the best he could be, he persevered otherwise, knowing that he would never live it down himself if he wouldn't exceed his parents' expectations. He trained himself night and day, with every smash and every serve he gave and received worrying most of the team, especially his mother.

"Akaya, you're pushing yourself too much." Yukimura scolded his son lightly after seeing him swinging his racket again and again, and in the middle of the night to boot. "I know that you want to surpass us, but this is just too much, even for me. You'll make yourself sick."

"Its okay, Okaa-san! I'm not tired! With this… I…!" With a determined look on his face, Akaya slammed the ball against the wall again with renewed vigor.

"I will be the best tennis player in the whole of Japan!"

Yukimura was shocked, observing his son who openly defied him with that obstinate stubbornness he had inherited from his capped father. While he was feeling rather proud of his son right now, Akaya wellbeing was his first priority, and with the way the second year was training himself, he would end up in bed with a fever, and with the tournament so close, that wouldn't do at all.

"Akaya. Bed. _Now._" Yukimura said sternly, using his absolute obey-me-or-face-my-wrath voice, which made the younger teen freeze and immediately comply, dropping his racket to the ground. The moment he did so however, the teen swayed and finally lost consciousness, his exhausted and beaten body moving on sheer will alone, causing Yukimura to look at his son rather worriedly, if not a bit impressed.

There was no doubt about it. Akaya indeed was his and Genichirou's son, through and through.

-/-

Finally the day of the tournaments arrived, and the Rikkaidai regulars were assembled at the front grounds at the crack of dawn, in front of the coaster that would take them to Tokyo, where the matches were going to be held. Marui looked sleep deprived, occasionally lapsing into semi-unconsciousness, holding on to Jackal for support, the latter looking drowsy himself, but still relatively more awake than the former. Niou and Yagyuu were wide awake, which was both a good and a bad thing, since Niou was thinking of a plan that would inevitably wake up the self-proclaimed tensai, who was being restrained by Yagyuu himself. Sanada and Yukimura were also awake, the former, as always, stern and silent and the latter, mellow and clam.

Finally, Sanada couldn't take it any longer.

"Where are Renji and Akaya?!"

"Yanagi-kun volunteered to pick up Akaya-kun himself." Yagyuu was the one to answer, nonchalantly grabbing the trickster's t-shirt as he tried to slink away. "Niou-kun, stop trying to wake Marui-kun up. As you know, he has extremely low blood pressure."

"That's why I do it." Niou answered with a wicked smirk, but allowed himself to be dragged away, nevertheless. "Puri."

"Niou, fifty laps on the courts later." Sanada thundered, rubbing a finger to his temples. His day was already shot to hell and it wasn't morning yet. They were already behind schedule, and with Renji picking up Akaya _alone_, who knows what would happen to both of them at this hour? Or, worse yet, what would happen to his _son_…?!

"Sorry if we're late, everyone." Yanagi's ever calm voice broke into his thoughts. "And before you ask Genichirou, I did not molest Akaya in his sleep." With that said, the data master set Akaya down to his feet. "Akaya, wake up."

"W-Where are… we?" The second year asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes and yawning, looking so innocent and adorable, even when half-asleep. Yukimura couldn't help but coo over the state of his son.

"Renji, how did you–?!"

"It's quite simple, Genichirou. The possibility of your over protectiveness over Akaya is at 99.9 %. And your sudden hostility at me for being Akaya's love interest is quite high, at about 97%." Yanagi answer simply. "It was significantly lower before Akaya knew the truth. But rest assured Genichirou, I will not do anything that would displease you or Akaya. You have my word on that."

"So then, everyone is present?" Yukimura stepped in before his vice captain had the chance to answer back. "It's a long ride to Tokyo, so I suggest that you all get some sleep during the trip. For seating arrangements: Niou and Yagyuu and Marui and Jackal, respectively."

Yagyuu nodded in understanding, still keeping a firm hold on the platinum blond, while Jackal blinked, trying to stay awake.

"Renji, do you mind being Akaya's pillow for a while?"

"Not in the least, Seiichi." The brunet answered pleasantly, quite ignoring the fact that Sanada was glaring katanas, not daggers, at him. "I'll take care of him."

"Genichirou?" The captain was looking expectantly at him, and with a weary sigh, he took Yukimura's hand with a second thought, but not before giving his best friend a warning look, who has wrapped his arm around Akaya's waist, the latter sleeping soundly against his shoulder, albeit standing up.

-/-

The trip to Tokyo was quiet, as the regulars chose the moment to catch up on to some sleep. But soon enough, one by one they regained their energy and were fully awake; turning rowdy by the time they entered the limits of Tokyo city.

Sanada was at his limit the moment he heard Marui's scared shriek and Niou's loud, obnoxious laughter. He was on the verge of sending them all a thousand laps when the coaster finally stopped at the Forest of Arenas, the venue of the tennis tournament. Exhaling loudly, he turned to look at Yukimura beside him, who nodded and stood up, causing the regulars to immediately quiet down.

"Everyone, we've arrived." He smiled sweetly. "Remember, we are here as the all-around champions. Do something that would taint our reputation and _you would be punished. Severely_." His voice immediately turned cold, with the underlying steel promise of slow and painful torture that told the regulars that he was all business, despite the smile that was still kept in place. "_Is that understood?_"

"Yes, buchou." The regulars were dead serious now, taking the warning to heart. Yukimura wasn't their captain for nothing. Whenever he was in his Child of God mode, there was nothing but the utmost fear and respect for their captain, and they readied themselves at Yukimura's permissive nod.

-/-

"Woooooow!" Akaya wasn't able to contain his awe at seeing the expansive tennis courts that lay just ahead of them. With a happy shout, he immediately made towards the tennis courts, his excitement growing larger at each passing moment.

"Akaya! Don't run off!" While Yukimura mostly took over Jackal's responsibility of taking care of Akaya, the half-Brazilian tennis player wasn't discharged yet of his duties as the second year's babysitter. And with that, he chased after the kouhai, dropping his things, while the regulars looked over in amusement.

"I should've known that Akaya would do that." Marui rolled his eyes, taking Jackal's tennis bag from the ground and passing it over to one of his kouhai. Yukimura chuckled at his son's antics. "Let him be. It's the first time he saw this place, after all. Genichirou, you shouldn't have. I could carry my bag all by myself you know."

The teen in question was holding both his own tennis bag and his spouse's. "It's alright, Seiichi. I can carry this myself."

"Rikkaidai Fuzoku, am I right?" A voice asked them and Yukimura turned, seeing one of the tournament's organizers waving cordially at them. The captain smiled and moved forward, letting the others fix the tennis gear. "Yes. It's been a while since we've been here."

"I would recognize that uniform anywhere." The older man chuckled. "The three time consecutive champions. Will you take the trophy again this time, Yukimura Seiichi-kun?"

Yukimura didn't even question why the man knew his name. "We intend to, sir." Answered Yukimura confidently. The man pulled out a sheet of paper and gave it to him. "Your registration form. It contains the schedule of the tournament and the matches themselves. Below that are sheets of blank line ups for your upcoming matches. Before the games start, fill up your line up for that day and submit them before the matches start."

"Yes. Thank you." Yukimura received the items graciously, already knowing the procedure well.

"I look forward to your matches then, Rikkaidai." The organizer said his goodbyes and left, and Yukimura immediately pored over the schedule, wanting to see the schools that made it through the tournament this year. Seigaku and Hyotei were present at the list, as well as various other no named schools that didn't hold his interest at all. Humming a little in thought, he turned to the school brackets, where they would see which tennis team they would be playing against.

Of course, with Rikkaidai being the overall champions, they were exempt from the eliminations, immediately acquiring a slot for the quarterfinals, being the seeded team for the tournament, since no one wants to see the consecutive winners of the tennis tournament losing immediately. Seigaku, he noticed, was on the other side of the bracket, completely away from their team, which would mean that they would likely face the other school much later than intended, possibly, if Seigaku was up to it, at the finals itself. Hyotei was in the middle, but was closer to Seigaku, and they would face each other sooner, rather than later. The quarterfinals were a few days away, which would give them ample time to rest and observe the other tennis teams and their competencies, who could be their possible future opponents. Forewarned is forearmed, after all.

With a satisfied nod, he passed over the papers to his vice-captain, who skimmed over the contents immediately. "So we'll be playing at the quarterfinals." He said after a while. "We'll be playing spectator for a while."

"And just as well." The data master entered the conversation. "We could observe the other teams and make out their strengths and weaknesses. This is a perfect opportunity for gathering data." If Yanagi Renji had been wearing glasses, they would have gleamed manically.

"And so you would Renji." Yukimura stated with a small laugh. "By the way Genichirou… where's Akaya?"

-/-

The son in question was currently at the gates of the Forest of Arenas with his senpais, watching the tennis players as they entered the tennis grounds, team by team. Akaya stopped himself from snorting loudly. They all looked pathetically weak, by his standards. But as his parents said, don't underestimate your enemies, _especially_ if they look like they can't hit a tennis ball correctly.

His mother was a living proof of that.

And so he spent his time gauging his possible opponents, all the while keeping track of his rivals, who might come in at any time. He noticed the looks and the whispers that were directed at them and he couldn't help but smirk a little in pride. He _was_ a Rikkaidai regular, after all.

"Ah, there you are!" His mother's voice made him look away from the gate temporarily. The Rikkaidai Troika appeared, causing the other teams to talk among themselves.

"That's Rikkaidai's three demons…"

"No way, the one in front looks like a pushover to me…"

"Idiot! That's their captain! Rumor has it that he was hospitalized for a while…"

"Aren't they the champions last year and the year before that?"

Yukimura Seiichi, unmindful of the gossip, approached his son and ruffled his hair before turning to the rest of his team. "What are you all doing here?"

"We came here 'cause Bakaya wanted to." Marui replied with a small _pop_. "Said he wanted to see the possible competition."

"I'm not an idiot, Marui-senpai!" Answered Akaya, incensed by the nickname.

"Good boy." The captain beamed at him and Akaya couldn't help but blush slightly. "You're learning."

"It's not enough." Sanada said, still appearing stern. "Akaya, don't slack off."

"Yes, fukubuchou!" In public, Akaya still called his parents with their respective titles, partly because of habit and because of protocol. And he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to escape if he would suddenly call his father 'Otou-san' in front of many people…

"Look there." Niou nudged his head in a particular direction. "Seigaku has arrived."

And he wasn't even kidding at that time. Wearing red, white and blue, the Seigaku tennis regulars had arrived, causing Sanada to narrow his eyes at their captain, who was leading the whole tennis team inside the tennis courts. Tezuka Kunimitsu seemed to know that someone was looking at him, because his eyes connected with the vice-captain's, starting the hot-blooded rivalry that had spanned years since they had faced each other in their elementary years. At Tezuka's right, Fuji Shuusuke smiled at Yukimura Seiichi, tilting his head slightly as he recognized the blue-haired teen. Yukimura did likewise, smiling in greeting, keeping their eyes connected for a brief second before Fuji faced front again.

Akaya glared heavily at Seigaku's freshman rookie, Echizen Ryoma. The kid was just too cocky for his own good. He had a match with him once, and was looking forward to settling the score with him, once and for all. The freshman didn't look at him once, but, strangely, Akaya felt an odd kind of kinship with him. He frowned, wondering why he was feeling this way. While he and Echizen are the same in terms of being the youngest in their teams and being an overall brat (he can't believe he just admitted that), there was nothing more in common between them, well, maybe the fact that they both wanted to win at tennis, but that's just about it. Confused, and slightly disturbed, he turned to his mother, only for him to see that the captain was looking at the team with a mixture of empathy and… sadness?

"Okaa-san?" he asked, quiet enough that no one but the team could hear him. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing…" Yukimura sighed back, tearing his eyes away from the Seigaku team. 'It's just that… I feel his pain."

"His pain? Whose?"

Yukimura paused, before answering softly: "Fuji Shuusuke's."

"Why? Is he injured?" Akaya looked at the retreating back of Seigaku's resident tensai. Physically, there seemed to be nothing wrong with him.

"His heart is, Akaya." Yukimura said this with a hint of sadness, unconsciously grabbing Sanada's hand for emotional support, who squeezed back comfortingly, hearing the conversation.

"He's hurting emotionally… because of Echizen Ryoma."

"Echizen?" Akaya asked quizzically. "What does he have to do with Fuji's heart?"

"A lot more than you could see, Akaya." Yukimura explained tentatively. "You see… Echizen Ryoma is also the result of a wish."

"To put it simply, Akaya…" Sanada said to the second year, when it showed that his son didn't understand. "Echizen is just like you."

It took a while for Akaya to understand his parents' words. Once he did, however, Akaya's eyes widened in comprehension. "You mean…?!"

"Yes." Yukimura nodded.

"Like you were born to us, Echizen-kun was also born to parents who have to pretend that he isn't their son."

* * *

I'm going to add more spinoffs for this tournament arc, as well as introduce the other families from the other teams. Do you guys have any team 'family' that you want to add in? just tell me, and I'll think about adding it here. Just make sure that the father, the 'mother' and the son are all canon-based characters.

Reviews and constructive criticism appreciated.

_Mitsukai20_


	4. The Wish Children

Okay, so after playing some Tenimyu DL4 and DL5 songs non-stop (namely Fuurinkazan and Hijou no Tennis), I managed to create another chapter for the tournament arc. This is mainly about how the family system works in canon. As I've said before, it requires one hell of a mind screw for you to understand it. Also, we get into some of the other 'parents', namely of the Seigaku and Hyotei ones. I would like to credit **BleuFleur** for the term 'wish-children'. I hope you don't mind me using it as the chapter header.

Warnings and Disclaimers: Same as the first chapter.

* * *

**Chapter III-B: The Wish-Children**

Akaya can't believe what he was hearing. He and Echizen have more in common than he had thought!

"Who're his parents, then?!" He asked, incredulous. The mere fact that there was another person like him, a teen who was separated from his parents at birth and never knowing the truth until now was enough to give him a small shock. He looked behind his parents to see the Seigaku team unloading their own equipment. "He doesn't look like any of them at all!"

"Look more closely, Akaya." Niou snorted. "There's one thing that Takeshi-sensei didn't change about Echizen Ryoma from the day he was born."

"Huh?" Akaya blinked. "What does Niou-senpai mean by that, Okaa-san, Otou-san?" He turned to his parents.

The couple hesitated. "How do we explain this…?"

"In order for the fans not too see the relationship between the parents and their children, Takeshi Konomi-sensei would alter the children's appearances before you were introduced to us again as your senpais." Yanagi was the one to answer the question. "That's why your hair and eyes are different from Seiichi's and Genichirou's."

"When you were born, you had blue eyes, like Yuki's." Marui continued while chewing his ever present gum. "And your hair was straight black with a slight bluish tinge to it."

"But it seems like Echizen-kun was changed the most out of all the children born from the middle school circuit." Yagyuu noted thoughtfully. "Some had changed with some slight physical differences. With Echizen-kun, his height and the color of his hair were changed drastically."

"But it can't be helped." Jackal sighed. "If sensei didn't change Echizen's hair color, the readers would make the connection all too easily. Especially since he has Tezuka's eyes…"

"No way!" Akaya mouth was agape. "Echizen's father is his buchou?!"

"And his mother is Seigaku's number two, Fuji Shuusuke." Yanagi nodded. "Quite a combination if you ask me, but since Tezuka and Fuji are part of the most popular fandom…"

"Is it that hard to believe, Akaya?" Sanada asked wryly. "If you could be born to us, then Echizen could be born to Seigaku as well."

-/-

"Yudan sezou ni ikou!" Tezuka finished his short speech with his trademark catchphrase.

"Hai, buchou!" All members of the Seigaku tennis club chorused in unison before scampering off to do their usual tasks. The Seigaku captain sighed, running a hand through his metallic brown locks as he surveyed his team. Once again he found his gaze lingering to a certain freshman rookie, who was currently at the mercy of Momoshiro and Kikumaru, with the second year holding the younger teen's head in a headlock. He resisted the urge to go over there and pry off the power player's arms over the rookie, combined with one of his patented death glares, as it would be very out of character for him to do so. He couldn't stop the worry, however, and he jumped slightly at the sudden pressure on his bicep, though he didn't show it outwardly.

He looked to the side, looking downward, as he recognized the touch, ladled with warmth.

"Shuusuke." He didn't stop the pain from showing in his voice.

"I know, Kunimitsu." The tensai answered back softly, his usual smile tinted with a sadness that was getting more and more frequent on his features. Fuji was looking at a distance, his close-eyed gaze centering on their future pillar.

"Everything will work out. I know it will." His hold on the captain's sleeve tightened.

-/-

"So… does Echizen know about it?" Akaya finally asked.

"You," Niou poked the second year's chest pointedly. "Weren't supposed to know about it. _Ever_. It was supposed to be a secret, and you would only know about it _after_ the series has ended. But since you found out on your own…" The trickster shrugged.

"I was careless at that time." Yanagi interjected quickly. "I never really took Akaya's curiosity into account."

"I guess we have to thank Akaya's curiosity, then." Yukimura smiled, cuddling his son close, starting to coo over him again.

"O-Okaa-san!" Akaya yelped, blushing wildly, while Sanada briefly ruffled his hair before going off to resume his responsibilities as the vice-captain.

Akaya was happy. Truly, he was. But right now he was feeling as if he cheated on somebody. He _shouldn't_ be this happy. He wasn't _supposed_ to know about the nature of his birth. Guilt was starting to claw into his chest, and as much as he tried to suppress them, the feelings still stayed.

He was being unfair. It wasn't his fault, he knew, but if there's one thing that playing tennis taught him, it was to exercise fair play in all aspects of life. He had an advantage over the rest of the teenagers who were also born like him, and it sickened him to the core.

Playing against Fuji Shuusuke, Echizen's birth mother, once taught him that.

-/-

Fuji paused and suddenly sneezed, much to the surprise of the regulars who are with him.

"Fujiko, are you sick, nya?" Eiji looked at his best friend worriedly. "Do you have a cold?"

"No, I'm fine." Fuji smiled and assured the acrobat, although it was more for the benefit of a certain bespectacled teen looking at him with worried eyes. "Someone must be thinking about me." He continued thoughtfully.

"Isn't it supposed to be 'talking about you', senpai?" Momoshiro asked with a light, slightly jesting tone, causing the tensai to chuckle. "Momo, if someone's talking about me, then it would mean that he was thinking about me as well, right?" He stopped and noticed that the freshman had been looking at him that was longer than usual. "Echizen, is there something wrong?"

Ryoma gave a start. "Ah, no. It's nothing." He turned away, adjusting his white cap to avoid further question. Inwardly though, he berated himself for getting caught.

_Why am I staring at Fuji-senpai for so long? Am I… actually worried about him? But why?_

He didn't notice the sad shadow that loomed over the tensai's face, to be quickly replaced with his usual, happy smile.

-/-

"ATOBE-SAMA!!!"

The Hyotei regulars didn't stop the cringe that appeared on their faces the moment they stepped off the luxurious coach. Instantly they were surrounded by a gaggle, of screaming, wailing girls who were intent on one person only: their buchou, the great diva, Atobe Keigo.

The King of Hyotei Gakuen raised his hand and snapped his fingers, causing everyone to be immediately silenced.

"Ore-sama bigi ni yoi na."

The fans went wild, and Rikkaidai, who was near, was watching with renowned interest. Sanada resisted rolling his eyes at the display.

"As usual, Hyotei's flashy at their entrance." Yanagi noted.

"What can you say? Atobe-kun clearly loves the attention." Yukimura said serenely.

"Sugeee! We're finally here!!! Wait, is that Rikkaidai I see?! Oh my God, is Marui-kun there?!" They heard the definite squeal of one Hyotei regular, and the aforementioned volley specialist groaned loudly.

"Oh great…" He muttered. "Not him again…"

"Looks like your fanboy is here at last, Marui." Niou slung an arm over Marui shoulders, clearly stopping himself from laughing out loud. "Any last words?"

Marui looked like he was going to be sent to the gallows. "Hide me; please hide me before Akutagawa arrives…" He was behind Yagyuu's back, already cowering.

"Jirou! Calm down!" They heard Atobe bark, and the strawberry blond volleyist kept quiet, although still pouting that he hasn't seen his beloved Marui-kun.

"It must be nice to have a fan, Marui." Yukimura commented offhandedly in a light teasing tone. Marui looked at him as if he was crazy. "Trust me Yuki, _that_ would be the last thing you would ever want to have..." Marui shuddered back. "It's a good thing that Atobe has him shackled or else he'd still be following me…"

"We're back!" Jackal and Akaya arrived, carrying various bottled cans of different brands. Both of them were in errand duty for the day, and while Akaya didn't like it, it was still nice to see an appreciative smile on his parent's faces.

"Thanks, brat." Niou raised his hand and caught the can that Akaya aimed at his face. Akaya huffed, muttering something incoherent.

"Niou-kun, be more appreciative." Yagyuu chided him lightly, receiving his own ordered drink with thanks. "You're setting a bad example for our godchild."

"Since when did I say that I'll teach Akaya something good?" Niou smiled wickedly. "Puri."

"I will never understand why you chose Niou to be Akaya's godparent." Yanagi said in an undertone to Sanada.

"I didn't." Sanada's eyebrow was twitching. "It was Seiichi who wanted to."

"By the way, is that Hyotei?" Akaya looked over to the other side of the court in question. "They have a lot of people over there."

"Blame that on Atobe, their buchou." Yukimura smiled, patting the second year on the head. "He's very… flamboyant."

"He's a terrible example to his team." Sanada huffed. "A captain must always be responsible and reserved."

"You forget Genichirou, that he has beaten you once." Yanagi reminded him, watching the sudden flinch at appeared on the vice-captain's face. "So he's not all talk, I'm afraid."

"Makes me wonder what his son is like." Marui shrugged. "I didn't see anyone like him in his team."

"Even if we try looking by appearance, it would be impossible." Jackal shook his head.

Akaya gave a start at that. "Wait… there's someone like me on Hyotei?!" Is it possible? Is it possible that there were more people like him and Echizen?!

"There is an 85% chance that there is, Akaya." Yanagi answered ruefully. "But I cannot be sure about the other teams."

No way. Akaya turned to Hyotei, looking at their regulars carefully. Who? Which of them was also conceived because of a wish?

"How can you be even sure that Atobe-kun _is_ a father?" Yagyuu asked in an incredulous tone.

"I can feel it." Sanada answered quietly. "As loud as he is, he cannot mask the emotions in his heart."

"We parents have a… sixth sense, if you could call it that." Yukimura explained softly. "We are empathic to each other's feelings and emotions. That's why, earlier this day, I felt Fuji-kun's hurt."

"So, in theory, it could help you cope with the secret easier, am I right?" Yanagi asked, and the couple nodded.

"Do the others know…?"

"No." Sanada shook his head. "They could only feel our happiness at this moment. It's up to them to discover why."

"I see…"

Akaya didn't hear any of this. He was concentrating on the Hyotei camp, intending to find out who the teen is. He was fairly sure that once he saw him, he would feel that strange connection again. His forest green eyes skimmed over each head, frowning as each second passed. But finally, he felt it, that tug at his chest as his eyes rested on a tall, silver haired male and a smaller brunet, who looked as if the rest of the world was against him.

But…

Which of the two of them was it?

-/-

Ootori Choutarou felt a shudder ran through his body and he looked up, slightly confused. What was that? It was as if someone was tugging at his chest…

"Choutarou, you okay?" Shishido noticed that his partner was looking among the other teams, a puzzled expression on his face. "Something wrong?"

"Ah, no." Choutatrou was rubbing his chest, feeling a bit disconcerted. "It's just that… I have a feeling that I'm missing something…"

"Shishido, Ootori, what are you doing?!" Atobe's voice rang throughout the place. "Ore-sama does not like to be kept waiting!"

"Ah, yes, coming!" As they took their places for the opening ceremony, a certain teen did not notice the ice-blue eyes looking at him with softness, before darting back to look forward again.

* * *

Now I've introduced Hyotei into the story, I think it's pretty obvious to all just who the son of the Hyotei family is. I have several reasons why I chose Choutarou instead of Hiyoshi, which I would reveal (as well as the other wish-children) in another spinoff after I'm done with the Rikkai one... if I put myself up to it.

Reviews and constructed criticism appreciated.

_Mitsukai20_


	5. Decisions, Decisions

Hey guys. Once again I bring you another spinoff. I was supposed to post this the day before yesterday, but since I enrolled in the university that day and I got grounded from the computer yesterday... well. Let me tell you something: enrollment is a bitch to do. I sit there for god knows how long, and it was so unbearably hot I was surprised that I didn't get a heatstroke. But at least on the good side, I saw and talked to an incoming freshman girl who looks like Yukimura... cough.

Anyway, this is more like a filler, since the next chapter is more on Seigaku instead of Rikkaidai. The Hyotei thing might come after Ryoma's revelation... so stay tuned for more, guys!

Warnings and Disclaimers: Same as first chapter.

* * *

**Spinoff III-C: Decisions, Decisions... **

The day for them to finally compete couldn't come fast enough.

After their initial warm up, it was time for them to defend their titles as the champions. On the day of the quarterfinals, Yukimura gathered his team and told their lineups, with Yanagi and Marui playing Doubles-2, Yagyuu and Jackal playing Doubles-1, and Niou, Akaya, and Sanada playing Singles-3, 2 and 1, respectively.

"What an unusual lineup, even for you, Yukimura-kun." Yagyuu commented, but he still made no complaints, testing out his racket strings and wrapping the handle with grip tape.

"I have to agree, Seiichi." Yanagi continued on, but he was smiling slightly, showing that he had no problems with it.

"It's only the quarterfinals, Yagyuu." Yukiura answered serenely, handing Sanada his own racket after checking its condition and making sure that Akaya was tidy enough for the match. "We should show them the reason just _why_ Rikkaidai is number one in the nation. Besides, I think that we shouldn't show them our real strength yet." The captain's eyebrows shot up questioningly. "You can't possibly tell me that you'll lose to a no named school now, could you?"

"Definitely not, Yuki." Niou drawled out, twirling his rackets with his fingers. "We'll win this. Puri."

Yukimura smiled. "Ten minutes, then."

Marui snorted. "We'll do it in five."

-/-

"Game to Rikkaidai Fuzoku! Five games to love! Five wins to zero! Rikkaidai Fuzoku advances to the semi-finals!"

"Good job, everyone." Yukimura gave his sweetest and most sincere smile to his players as the crowd cheered loudly behind them. "That didn't take long. All of you averaged about four minutes per game."

"They made the fatal mistake of insulting you in front of me." Sanada glared heavily at the retreating team. "There's no point in holding back to people like them."

"I didn't think that you would go to such lengths to protect my virtue." Yukimura teased lightly, lightly touching Sanada's face with a towel. "But thank you."

"What about me?! I protected Okaa-san too!" Akaya pouted. The couple turned to look at their son, both of them looking somewhat amused, though it was Yukimura who showed more in his expressions.

"Of course I didn't forget about you, honey." Yukimura chuckled softly, toweling Akaya's sweat-drenched hair dry. "Thank you, Akaya."

"Of course! No one insults my team, especially not my mother!" Forest green eyes sparked with an intense fire that seemed to both impress and amuse the older teens at the same time. "Look, the brat's trying to become a grown up." Niou said to Yagyuu, if not to amuse himself and just to annoy the second year. Marui was trying very hard not to laugh. Jackal sighed, clearly exasperated with his charge's actions, while Yanagi looked on silently, still amused.

"I'm not a brat, Niou-senpai!" Akaya yelled back. "I can beat you anytime I want to!"

"Say that when you prove it, shrimp." Niou rubbed his hand on Akaya's head roughly and smirked. "As far as I can remember, you still can't beat me."

"Niou, stop teasing Akaya." Yukimura chided lightly at the Trickster to placate his son, whose face was growing redder at each second. "He did well very today, right Genichirou?"

"He did." Sanada confirmed with a slight nod, watching from the corner of his eye as Akaya visibly perked up. "He didn't go into bloodshot mode during his match, and, if I timed it correctly, Akaya has the shortest match out of all of us." He lightly touched Akaya's hair. "Good job, Akaya." He didn't stop the tinge of pride that appeared on his voice.

"H-Hai!" Akaya managed to squeak, feeling very surprised. His father was actually praising him for a job well done. He can't stop the blush that suddenly appeared on his face as he felt the bubble of happiness encase him fully. Other people may not understand why he was feeling that way at the moment, but for him, his parents' approval was one of the most important things in his life. It made him happy that he had made his parents proud of him and it was very rare for his father to say something like that to him, but it only made Akaya treasure this moments more.

"But you still have a long way to go." Sanada tweaked on a wayward curl and watched as Akaya winced slightly, his euphoria quickly fading away. "Don't let something like this go to your head. Understand?"

"Y-yes, Otou-san!" He started to pout as his father turned away, but that didn't stop the smile from appearing on his face.

Sanada Genichirou would never change, that much the second year knew, but Akaya would never exchange his father for anything in the world.

-/-

The regulars were already set, going to the other tennis courts to watch the Seigaku vs. Hyotei match when Akaya suddenly grabbed Yanagi's jersey, causing the data master to stop and look at his kouhai questioningly. Akaya waited until the others were a short distance away, before speaking up.

"Sorry Yanagi-senpai, but can you talk to me for a minute?" The second year asked, a bit hesitant.

"… All right." Yanagi agreed easily, more intrigued than confused. Akaya tugged and led him away, while Yanagi cast a surreptitious glance at the rest of the regulars, most especially Sanada, who would notice their absence soon enough. But he let himself be led away, towards a rather secluded spot in between the courts and Akaya finally let him go, looking a bit troubled.

"What's wrong, Akaya?" Whatever Akaya's going to say to him must be important for the second year not to approach his best friends to talk to them about it. And, truth be told, Yanagi was starting to get a little worried. "Did something happen?"

"Please, Yanagi-senpai…" Suddenly he found his arms being held tightly and Akaya unleashed the full power of his deep green eyes on him, which were looking at him pleadingly. "Help me! You're the only one who I can trust with this!"

Yanagi was both entranced and startled as forest green met his own wide dark brown. Akaya had never sounded this desperate before. And his eyes… Yanagi had never seen that shade of green, so vibrant and expressive... he had to internally shake himself to be able to answer back. "Trust with what? What are you trying to do?"

Akaya leaned in and whispered into the data master's ear, as if afraid that there's someone who was listening on them.

"You want to what?!" Granted, Yanagi wouldn't put past it Akaya to think of something like that, but to actually ask his help on it… this was definitely a first.

"You heard me, Yanagi-senpai!" Akaya still held on to his senpai, a little nervous if not determined. "I… I want to reunite Seigaku and the Hyotei families together again!"

"But why?" Yanagi was puzzled. Akaya didn't have anything to do with the other teams and their families and it was unusual to see Akaya so passionate about other things that weren't tennis. Only a few things defied his data, and Akaya, surprisingly, was one of them. "It isn't any of your concern."

"I know, Yanagi-senpai." Akaya's hold on Yanagi's jacket tightened as he pressed his forehead against his senpai's chest. "But… It just wasn't fair! I can't just stand here knowing that there are others like me! Okaa-san said that it's always painful for all of them to just look from a distance. And… I always felt incomplete everyday, wondering what was missing… until I met Otou-san and Okaa-san again. I don't want the others to feel that way too. I want all of them to be happy with their parents and their children because... I can't stand feeling guilty for a thing that I know is not my fault!"

Yanagi could only grasp the other teen's shoulders as he felt something wet touch his skin. Akaya may be a brat and stubborn to a fault, but deep inside, he has a soft heart that only Yanagi and a few other were privy to. Yanagi could understand why Akaya chose him for help instead of his parents and the rest of his team. He smiled, running his hand soothing over Akaya's hair as he waited for the other teen to recover.

"Stop crying, Akaya." Yanagi would never admit it, but he found Akaya extremely adorable whenever the second year was in this state. "I'll help you."

Akaya looked up, sniffling slightly. "Really?" He sounded hopeful.

"Yes. But," He watched in slight bemusement as the second year visibly deflated at the words. "I'm not going to do this for free. You have to make this up for me, Akaya." There was a hint of mischievousness on the data master's expression.

"But what can I do, Yanagi-senpai?" Akaya pouted. It's not like he could give something of value to the older teen. "I can't give you anything."

Yanagi smirked. "Oh, but I think you can."

And in one quick movement, Yanagi tilted Akaya's chin up and lightly brushed his lips against his kouhai's own, causing Akaya to freeze in shock as a tingle pleasurable spread throughout his body. But it was over the moment it started, and Yanagi stepped back, quite enjoying Akaya's dumfounded look.

"Payment received." He said simply, feeling very, _very_ satisfied.

After all, what kind of a fiancé was he if he can't keep his future spouse happy?

-/-

"Sadaharu. It's been a while." Yanagi raised his hand in greeting to catch the attention of Seigaku's resident data man. Akaya followed, silent and still a bit flushed, but he flat out refused to let his senpai go to Seigaku's spot without him. He didn't like the idea of leaving the older teen alone with the tall, bespectacled regular, since he knew that the both of them had quite a history together. Akaya was pouting again, and Yanagi petted the dark curly hair before meeting midway with his childhood friend.

"Renji!" Inui was surprised. Having his childhood best friend visit him before their match was not in his data. "What can I do for both of you today?" He noticed that Rikkaidai's Junior Ace was right behind him, shooting him dark glances. Inui internally sighed. It really can't be helped.

"You know about Tezuka, Fuji, and Echizen, am I right?" Yanagi watched as Inui's expression gradually darkened with realization.

"You know we're not supposed to talk about that, Renji. It's forbidden." All of the players from the middle school circuit weren't allowed to talk about the wish-children. It was a secret only the seniors and some of the juniors knew, but even the wish-children in general were a concept that was still hard to grasp, even to the chosen parents themselves. "What about them?"

"Rest easy, Sadaharu." Yanagi assured his friend coolly, looking at his kouhai pointedly. "Akaya already knows who he is."

"But that's impossible!" Inui protested. It was completely illogical! "How could he know? Surely nobody told him about it!"

"I did tell him, although it was an indirect approach." Yanagi smiled slightly. "Needless to say, Seiichi and Genichirou are very happy right now."

"Yes, I did recall Fuji saying that to me once, although I didn't know it was Yukimura." Inui nodded thoughtfully. "And? What do you want to do now?"

"Well, I think it's about time that Echizen and the others knew about their real parents."

This was getting interesting. A perfect set up to collect data. "… And how do you propose we do that?" Inui's eyebrow was raised questioningly. "You know we're bounded by oath not to say anything to them."

"… We may not be able to tell them anything, but _Akaya_ certainly can." Yanagi wrapped an arm Akaya's waist, smirking a little internally when Akaya squeaked and suddenly blushed. "This is Akaya's idea in the first place. I'm merely supporting him as his fiancé and future husband."

Inui regarded Akaya with some astonishment. "You… are quite chivalrous, Kirihara-kun. But I'm sure that the rest of the parents are going to be pleased with your plan." Inui nodded in approval at Yanagi. "You've chosen well, Renji."

"Thank you." Yanagi smiled. "By the way, how are Fuji and Tezuka coping?"

Inui sighed. "Fuji… his depression is getting worse. He does not show it, but lately he's been acting unlike himself. I could always catch him looking at Echizen and sigh before smiling again. I even didn't have the heart to make him drink my new creation: Inui Deluxe Super Juice version 34.78." Akaya cringed and paled the moment the drink was mentioned and Yanagi stood, unruffled by the revelation.

"Inui!" A voice called out and the trio turned around to see who called the Seigaku regular.

_Speak of the devil, _Their minds thought in unison.

"Ah, Fuji." Inui greeted the tensai genially. "What is it?"

"Have you seen Ryoma anywhere?" The tensai was smiling back, looking left and right, searching for his estranged son. "It's time for our match against Hyotei and–" He stopped as he noticed two of the Rikkaidai regulars standing behind his teammate. His smile turned apologetic. "Ah, sorry. I interrupted you."

"Don't worry about it, Fuji-kun." Yanagi cut in smoothly. "You didn't interrupt anything."

"And Fuji, if my data would serve me correct, your son would be with Momoshiro right now, either at the vending machine or at the courts already." Inui added.

"Inui!' Fuji quickly stopped him when he saw Akaya. "Stop that! You know that–"

"Don't worry, Fuji-san. I already know." Akaya spoke up; watching as the tensai looked confused and then, sufficiently shocked.

"You… know?" He asked faintly, looking from his teammate to the two Rikkaidai students. "But when? _How_?!"

"I found out by myself, Fuji-san." Fuji was close to fainting, and Inui helped him up, watching helplessly as tears started to form on the brunet's closed eyes.

"I see... so that's why Yukimura felt so happy…" He whispered softly. He looked at Akaya, feeling happy for them and at the same time jealous of Akaya's parents. "Why? Why can't we be as happy as them? Why…" His voice was barely above a whisper, and yet Akaya heard it so clearly. Guilt and shame clawed as his heart as the tensai broke down, hand covering his mouth as tears silently poured down from his face.

Akaya slowly pushed himself away from Yanagi's hold and moved forward so he was facing the distraught teen. He said, with some hesitance,

"Fuji-san… I'm here because I want Echizen to know the truth about you and Tezuka-san."

Fuji looked up at those words. "Why would you do that? We're your opponents. Wouldn't it be better to defeat us when we're in this state?"

Akaya fidgeted and looked sown, uncomfortable with Fuji's piercing blue stare. "It's not fair for me and my parents to be the only people like this. At least, I want to beat you fair and square. And I think Echizen is really missing out on a lot if he doesn't know who you really are. My Okaa-san said that you're in pain… and I think I couldn't stand knowing that and feel guilty about it."

Fuji wiped a tear from his eye and looked at Akaya square in the eye. "Inui." He said softly, and Inui loosened his hold. Fuji straightened up and smiled at the tall regular. "Inui, don't tell Kunimitsu about this, okay?" Inui nodded, though still a bit worried.

To everyone's surprise, Fuji stepped forward and enclosed the Rikkaidai second year into a hug. Akaya stiffened as Fuji's arms wrapped around him, loose enough that he could still breathe, but Akaya couldn't help but feel incredibly safe and warm at the tensai's embrace, since his touch almost felt like…

… His mother's….

"Thank you." Fuji whispered into Akaya's ear. "Yukimura and Sanada are lucky that they have a child like you." Fuji finally released him and gave him a genuine smile. "You're a good son, Kirihara." He patted the second year on the head.

"I'm not Kirihara Akaya anymore." Was Akaya's resolute answer.

"I'm… Sanada Akaya."

-/-

"They're WHAT?!" Sanada's voice roared over the tennis courts.

"Now now, Genichirou, calm down." Yukimura placated his spouse by grabbing Sanada's arm softly, but firmly. "Renji would take care of Akaya. It's not like he's going to jump on our son the moment they're both alone, right?"

… If only Yukimura knew.

* * *

Some YanaKiri fluff for you guys, just to show you all that the 'fiancee' thing is still very much alive. I really can't put them in yet, since I knew that Sanada would hunt my ass if ever I finally put both on them out into a date.

Reviews and comments appreciated.

_Mitsukai20_


	6. Revelation

By the request of **Pri-Chan 1410**, once again, I have created another spin-off. I decided that I might as well bring in the Hyotei revelation sooner, and the Seigaku revelation for later.

Disclaimers and Warnings: First chapter.

* * *

**Spinoff III-D: Revelation**

Echizen was walking towards the tennis courts, alone for the most part. He knew very well that their quarterfinals were starting soon, but there's no way in hell that he's going in there unless he had a can of his favorite Ponta with him. Exhaling, taking another sip at his carbonated drink, he turned around the corner, where he knew the regulars would be assembled.

His eyes widened and the can slipped out of his hand, crashing and spilling its contents to the ground as sudden shock, rage and jealousy ran though his veins like never before.

There, right in front of him, his senpai was hugging a Rikkaidai regular. And it wasn't just any of his senpai.

The tensai, Fuji Shuusuke… was embracing Kirihara Akaya, Rikkaidai's demon.

Without another word he turned around and stalked away, trying to get his emotions under control.

This wasn't the romantic feeling of jealousy. He knew that his buchou and the tensai were together, even before he transferred to Seigaku, and wouldn't dream of getting in the way of their relationship. No, this feeling of possessiveness was different. It was the same feeling he always felt whenever his older adoptive brother was home. His mother would always fuss over Ryoga worriedly whenever he would be home, because the older teen was somewhat of a vagrant. And he would always watch with resentment behind the door as his brother was completely pampered by both his mother and father.

_Damn you, Kirihara! _He found himself thinking savagely. _You already have your own parents! Leave mine alone! _

Echizen stopped, realizing what had just run through his head at that moment.

_What… did I just think about right now? Parents? Mine? Why? Why did I feel so angry when Fuji-senpai held Kirihara like that? Why do I feel so… possessive of him?_

His hand slowly went to his head, feeling a migraine starting as vague pieces of his younger memories started to surface.

-/-

Fuji returned to the bleachers just in time for their match against Hyotei to start.

"Fuji! Where have you been, nyah?" Eiji immediately tackled the brunet unto a hug. "Our match against Hyotei is starting, you know!"

"I didn't catch the time." Fuji patted his best friend's arm in assurance and nodded towards the others. "Sorry if I was late."

_The next Quarterfinals match between Seishun Gakuen and Hyotei Gakuen will start shortly! Players, please stand by!_

"Where the heck could Echizen be?" Momoshiro looked left and right, seemingly looking for their estranged rookie. "The match going to start soon, you know!"

"That's right. Where's Echizen?" Taka sent a quizzical glance at Fuji, who gave an apologetic glance. "Fuji, have you found him?"

"I'm afraid not." Was the brunet's soft answer. "I have no idea where he could be now."

"Shuusuke." Tezuka's quiet voice stopped the tensai in his tracks as the regulars took over the tensai's job of looking for their freshman. He walked toward his spouse and touched the other teen's cheek with the back of his hand, seeing Fuji's slightly puffy and reddened eyes. "You've been crying again."

"It's nothing new, Kunimitsu." Fuji sighed back, leaning into the captain's touch. He smiled wanly. "I'm sorry."

Tezuka shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for. It should be me who should be apologizing to you." He gave the tensai a small, lopsided smile. "I promised you that I would make you the happiest bride, didn't I?"

"Oh, Ochibi! _There_ you are!" The acrobat's loud voice destroyed their moment and they both looked at the direction of the happy shout, seeing their freshman rookie enter the side bleachers, mutually feeling relieved that nothing bad happened to their son. Tezuka let his arm fall down to the side, staring at the white cap that hid the freshman's eyes.

"Echizen." He said coolly, internally wincing at the emotional crack that would happen every time he would address his own son like a stranger. _He's not an Echizen, he's a Tezuka!_ His internal paternal instincts would always yell.

"Geez, Echizen!" Once again, Momo had Ryoma under a headlock while simultaneously being glomped by Eiji. "Get it together! We need to win against Hyotei!"

"Momo-senpai, that hurts!" It looked to be the same as always, with the Seigaku regulars, from a distance, acting as if nothing significantly jarring had happened. And as the Seigaku vs. Hyotei matches start, there was one person who was not as attentive in the match as he ought to be.

-/-

It was the start of the Doubles 2 match, but Ootori Choutarou couldn't keep still. He perfectly knew that it wasn't because of nerves, since he and Shishido-san were in Doubles-1, but something deeper, more intriguing, and he stood up, answering his senpai's questioning look.

"I'll just take a walk, Shishido-san."

"Are you okay? You want me to accompany you?" Shishido made to stand, but Choutarou quickly stopped him. "No, it's fine, Shishido-san. I'll be back soon!"

His doubles partner looked at him long and hard, and Choutarou silently prayed that the older teen would let him be. Finally Shishido nodded, reminding him to come back immediately, and Choutarou all but fled, internally sighing with relief.

The nagging feeling never left. Even now, as Choutarou tried to calm himself down and think clearly, he still had the unsettling feeling which started the moment he stepped into the Forest of Arenas. But why, and why _now_? He couldn't understand it at all. He grasped the front of his tennis jacket. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it still bothered him greatly.

_It's like… something's missing… but what?_

"Hey! Watch out!"

"E-eh?" He barely had time to blink before gasping in surprise as a large body collided against him, making him lose his balance and fall flat on his butt.

"O…ow…" Massaging his sore behind, he looked forward, seeing the person who collided with him. Black curly hair, yellow tennis uniform and a wince in his face.

"K-Kirihara-kun?" Choutarou blinked in surprise. "Are you all right? I'm sorry, I didn't see you!" Quickly he stood up and helped the other teen up, despite the fact that it was him who was bumped into, not the other way around.

"Damn that hurt like hell…" He heard the teen mutter, standing up with his help. "Sorry about that…" He dusted off his shorts. Finally the Rikkaidai player noticed that someone was holding him up and he looked up.

"You're… Ootori, right? From Hyotei?" Akaya asked hesitatingly, remembering the data Yanagi told about him. _If I remember correctly… he has the fastest serve in the circuit, as well as… _Akaya's eyes widened. _He's…! _

"Ah, yes. I am." Choutarou answered kindly with a smile. "Are you all right, Kirihara-kun?"

"Y-Yeah. Sorry. I was in a hurry and–" Akaya stopped. Choutarou stopped too, eyes widening as the feeling in his chest intensified. _W-What..?_

Akaya can feel it too. _He's... just like me. _He realized. _This guy's a wish child too!_

-/-

"Here, here." The Rikkaidai Fuzoku tennis team finally found the place where the Seigaku vs. Hyotei match would take place in. They helped themselves on the bleachers, looking with watchful eyes as the crowd slowly swelled in number.

"How unexpected." Yukimura noted, smiling, leaning against Sanada. "There are a lot of people who arrived to watch this match."

"Well, Hyotei and Seigaku are unexpectedly stronger now." Yanagi suddenly appeared behind Marui, who yelled and launched himself in Jackal's arms. Niou snorted in laughter, causing Marui to glare darkly at him, and, in turn, making Jackal lose his balance and topple towards Yagyuu.

"OW! Bunta!"

"Jackal-kun… your weight…"

"Puri. Yaaaaaagyuu… if you wanted a threesome with Bunta and Jackal you could've asked me first."

"Yanagi! Don't DO that, you jerk!" Marui was trying to untangle himself between his teammmates. "I was seriously scared!"

"I'm sorry." Yanagi answered amusedly, looking more amused when Sanada suddenly shot up and glared at him, while Yukimura smiled more widely and motioned Yanagi to take a seat beside him. "Renji, my son?" The captain prompted.

"Don't worry, Genichirou." Yanagi answered the glare calmly, turning towards his future mother-in-law, smiling. "He has something to take care of first. He'll be here before the matches start."

Sanada grumbled. Just what did 'Don't worry' mean? Don't worry that he wasn't interested in his son, or that he's not going to do anything _yet_? Sanada hoped that it was the former, but he had a feeling that it was most definitely the latter. He trusted Renji, of course, being one of his best friends, but what he didn't trust was the fact that the said best friend had an unhealthy interest in his son. They have an _eleven year age difference_, for god's sake! (A little voice reminded Sanada that it's technically only a year, but Sanada's 'papa wolf' side immediately kicked it in the ass and shoved it away quickly.) He was just reunited with his son, and now his son's going to be taken from him again by his best friend. It wasn't fair.

But his Seiichi, his ever beautiful and gentle spouse, wasn't adverse to the fact. Not a bit. In fact, he was even _encouraging_ it. Sanada wondered what his spouse saw in Renji to accept him as a future possible son-in-law. He didn't understand it at all.

_The next Quarterfinals match between Seishun Gakuen and Hyotei Gakuen will start shortly! Players, please stand by!_

"Hmm… it's starting." Niou spoke up, finally finished laughing at Marui and had saved his doubles partner from Jackal and Marui's combined weight. "Singles-1 would be…?"

"Atobe and Tezuka, without a doubt." Yanagi spoke up. Yukimura looked thoughtful, taking a sideways glace at his own spouse, who was concentrating on both the team's captains. "So it's a match between two fathers, isn't it?"

-/-

They continued to stare at each other. Akaya's mind was working overdrive, wondering on what to do. Another wish child was standing in front of him, and he can't very well say '_Hey, I just found out that I'm the son of my buchou and fukubuchou, and you know what? You're one too!'_ He had to break it slowly. But how?

Thankfully, the empathy seemed to help, and Choutarou seemed to understand slowly that the Rikkai second year was feeling the same thing as he was. "K-Kirihara-kun? Can you…?"

"Yeah, I feel it too." It wasn't in Akaya's nature to stall for time. So he only did the way he knew how.

"Look, Ootori, wasn't it? You're not the person you think you are."

"W-What are you talking about, Kirihara-kun?" Choutarou was confused. What did he mean? But something was telling him to listen, and so he did.

"This might sound crazy, but…" Akaya scratched the back of his neck, trying to find the words. He wasn't good at confessions. Hell, he was the one who's trying to find excuses so that his father wouldn't slap him during practice, and telling the truth wasn't really his thing. But this might be his only chance to say something, and at least he's made some progress with his plan.

"Your parents are not who they are. And they're closer than you think."

"W-What…?"

Oh, to hell with it! Akaya took a big breath and finally said it in one big breath.

"You're… Atobe Keigo's son!"

* * *

Cliffhangers are the best, don't you agree?

_**Mitsukai20**_


	7. Reunion

Mitsukai here. Another chapter has been finished, because I was feeling inspired. And it's a little longer than the rest, about 3k worth of words. I just found out that I've written more than twenty stories. Wow. I'm really slow when it comes to these things. *shot*

Disclaimers and Warnings: First chapter.

* * *

**Spinoff III-E: Reunion**

Choutarou didn't quite know how he managed to get back to the bleachers in time for the Doubles-2 Match between his school and Seigaku, but he suspected that his doubles partner had something to do with it, which he was immensely grateful for. His mind was still muddled, still not getting over the shock that had completely taken over him just moments before.

"_T-That's impossible! How can Atobe-buchou be–?"_

"_Believe me, I didn't believe it either at first." The Rikkaidai regular interrupted, shrugging his shoulders. "But it's true. I'm Yukimura-buchou's and Sanada-fukubuchou's son. Don't ask how it happened, but it did. And, apparently, we're not alone in this. There're also others. That's why we all feel the same way when we feel each other close by."_

"_B-But…" Tried as Choutarou might to accept the revelation, his mind really can't wrap its head around the fact that his parents–his _real_ parents–were just a year older than him. It's completely crazy just to think about it, not to mention impossible! But, at the same time, Choutarou was horrified to know that it _actually made sense_, at least in a way. At least, it explained the feeling that he got when he entered the Forest of Arenas._

"_It's better to accept it right away instead of protesting about it." The curly-haired second year said patiently. "When I first found out, I really thought that it must be some kind of mistake. But it's true, and now I'm happy that I finally got to meet my real parents." _

"_W-Why are you telling this to me?" Choutarou choked back an answer, still completely shocked. The other looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his head and kicking the ground in slight embarrassment. "… I just didn't want to deprive you of the opportunity to meet Atobe-san as a father, not as your captain. We're going to find out eventually, but it's better to start now, at least to make up for the time that was lost."_

"Choutarou? Oi, Choutarou! Snap out of it!"

"H-huh?" He blinked, seeing the hand that was firmly clasped on his shoulder. He looked up, seeing his doubles partner already standing up, racket in hand.

"Come on. We need to warm up. Doubles-2 is over."

"A-Already?" He stood up quickly, missing Shishido's surprised look at his acquired height. "H-How did we do? Did we win?"

"Choutarou, haven't you been watching? We lost." Shishido sent a smirk at the Mukahi-Oshitari pair, which Gakuto returned with a dark glare. He looked back, and seeing Choutarou's horrified look, his face slowly melted into a look of concern.

"Choutarou, are you all right? Did something happen?"

"Y-yeah. I'm okay." He sent a strained smile, hoping that the older teen wouldn't push it. He was definitely _not_ okay. How could he be, when he found out that the past thirteen years he had lived was a complete lie? His brown eyes turned to the bleachers, and seeing the clad of yellow, he became even more distraught. Should he believe what Kirihara-kun said to him? Something in him told him that he must, because it's the simple _truth_. But knowing it and accepting it was a whole different matter. It might be a ploy to destroy his concentration, but why would Rikkaidai help Seigaku to win against _them_? He didn't understand anything at this moment. He was so confused right now, and all he wanted to do was to lock himself up in a room and think things through.

But unfortunately, he didn't have the privilege of that, as he jogged lightly beside his partner in preparation for the Doubles-1 match, where they would be scoring off with Seigaku's famed Golden Pair.

_Pray that I can concentrate on my match today,_ Choutarou thought feverishly as the announcer called their names to go into the courts.

-/-

The moment he entered his team's line of sight, Akaya ran at a breakneck speed and jumped to the bleachers where his parents and the rest of his senpai's sat, grinning when Marui shrieked like a girl and jumped into Jackal's arms again.

"Akaya! Where have you been?" Yukimura chastised the second year, not even the least surprised when his son seemingly appeared out of thin air. But his eyes sparkled with happiness and amusement, tweaking the black curls lightly. "I was worried."

"Sorry." Akaya answered sheepishly, squealing loudly when Niou poked a certain part on his side. Akaya glared, shifting closer to Yanagi, who wrapped an arm around his waist comfortingly. The data master sent a look to Niou, who smirked wider and easily dodged when Yagyuu tried to pull him away from their kouhai.

"Hmm~ You're ticklish, Akaya. Piyo."

"Akaya! Ten laps later for worrying your mother." Sanada grumbled, looking away when his son started to pout. Contrary to fact, he _does_ get affected with that look, seeing as his son inherited it from his mother. So he tries his best not to look directly, or he'll go, god forbid, soft for his kouhai cum son. Tarundoru! He has a reputation to uphold!

"Hai…" Akaya reluctantly answered, pouting more. Yanagi chuckled and brushed his lips across Akaya's forehead, enjoying the sudden flush that appeared on his future spouse's cheeks. "Don't worry, Akaya. Genichirou is just cranky, that's all."

"Tarundoru! Renji! 250 laps later!" Sanada suddenly thundered, having seen the little exchange. Yukimura chuckled and patted his husband on the arm, who was scowling darkly. "Now, now Genichirou…"

"Hai, hai." Yanagi smiled good-naturedly, nodding concedingly, almost indulgently, looking at Akaya from the corner of his eye and giving him a conspiratorial look, making the second year giggle.

_Doubles-1 between Seishun Gakuen and Hyotei Gakuen will start shortly. Will the players enter the tennis courts. I repeat…_

"Doubles-1? Who's playing?" Marui popped his gum, already back to his seat (with some coaxing from Jackal that nothing's going to happen anymore). "I believe it's Kikumaru and Oishi from Seigaku and Shishido and Ootori from Hyotei." Yagyuu observed as the said players started to enter the courts.

"Akaya." Yanagi's voice was quiet enough for only Akaya to hear. "What did you do earlier?"

"Um… I met Ootori on the way here, by chance." Akaya was watching the Hyotei second year carefully from the spot at the bleachers. "And… I kind of… told him the truth."

"Hmm… I thought as much." Yanagi voice sounded satisfied. "With your personality, I doubt if you could hold it in for a long time."

"Then don't ask if you already know, senpai!" Akaya huffed. "And what can I do? It just… happened." He finished lamely.

Yanagi chuckled, a deep, husky sound that instantly turned Akaya's brain to mush. "I wasn't blaming you." He whispered closely in the second year's year. "But… Ootori looks… distracted."

"Uh…" Akaya tried to answer back, but the warm breath beside his ear was proving to be a distraction and he blushed more darkly.

"Looks like Ootori's not the only person that's… distracted." Niou was watching the lovey-dovey scene, cackling when Akaya yelped and jumped at least five meters into the air. Yanagi only smiled and finally put himself at a respectable distance away, since his best friend's face looked as if he was going to commit murder right on the spot. In fact, Yanagi was 99.9% sure that the vice-captain was already thinking of ways to kill him, if not for the fact that Yukimura was physically standing in his way, Sanada might have gone through it too.

_I can't have Genichirou dying of a heart attack because of me, _He mused silently as the Doubles-1 match started.

_Well, then…_ He took a sideways glance at Akaya, who still look embarrassed and a bit dazed.

_Let's see if Akaya did more harm than good…_

-/-

"Game to Seishun Gaken! 4 games to 1!"

"Oi Choutarou! Get it together!" Shishido was starting to get frustrated. Never, in all of the games they had played as a doubles pair, had they been losing this badly. He tossed a towel to his kouhai, who looked far more exhausted than ever. "What's wrong? You've been acting sting strange ever since we started playing!"

"S-Sorry, Shishido-san." The silveret sounded close to tears, and Shishido immediately felt guilty for yelling at his kouhai. But the pressure's starting to get to him, and they really _were_ going to lose, at this rate. He sat down on the bench, close to his partner, in a quiet voice. "Choutarou, is there something bothering you? You know you can always talk to me, don't you? We have to trust each other. Don't you trust me?"

"I-It's not that, Shishido-san." Choutarou really hated it when he heard the reproach in the other's voice. He trusted the older teen with everything he had, even his life, but it's not a problem that he could easily tell others. Who would believe him if he would admit that he was upset about the fact that he was worried about the nature of his parentage? He dearly wished, so very much, that he could confess everything to his partner, but this was neither the time nor the place. And, if he confessed now, they might just be on the one-way road to completely losing. "It's… nothing."

"It sure as hell ain't nothing, Choutarou!" Shishido was starting to get seriously pissed off. He didn't want to admit it, but he really felt hurt when the younger teen didn't even open up to him. "It's bothering you enough that you can't even do the Scud Serve properly! I just want to know if I could help!"

"Well you can't." Choutarou exhaled a deep breath. "I'm sorry Shishido-san, but I must handle this alone."

"For god's sake Choutarou, stop being so stubborn!" The moment Shishido said it, something in Choutarou completely snapped. "Leave me alone, Shishido-san!" He stood up and grabbed his racket that was leaning against the bench. "I told you that I'm fine! Please stop asking me pointless questions!"

Shishido stared, nonplussed, as the second ear threw his towel on the bench. "Let's go." Did Choutarou just… snap back at him? The glare… the tone of voice… it almost reminded him of…

He shook his head, making the image of the Hyotei captain disappear from his mind. His shock slowly turned into fury, and he slammed his water bottle down on the seat. "Fine!" He snarled. "Have it your way!" What nerve! Here he was, genuinely concerned, and Choutarou completely blew him off. You know what, if Choutarou's going to be hardheaded as he was about this, then fine, he really doesn't care anymore.

Without another word, he followed, and the tennis match continued.

-/-

"This is bad." Hiyoshi murmured as he continued watching the almost one-sided match. "Shishido-senpai and Ootori are starting to fall apart."

"Their doubles play is completely out of sync." Oshitari commented, frowning. "It's almost as if they stopped cooperating with each other."

"You heard them earlier, Yuushi." Gakuto was biting his lip in worry. "They were seriously arguing about something. I never thought it would happen, but…"

"Has Coach said anything?"

"None. He was watching them argue. He didn't even try to stop it."

"At this rate, we're going to lose!" Gakuto wailed, glaring at his teammate. "Atobe, do something about it!"

"And what could ore-sama do? Ahn?" Ice-blue eyes watched the rally continuously, not even looking at the redhead acrobat. "That's their problem. They should solve it themselves."

"I don't know; maybe offer a little support to Choutarou, then?" Gakuto answered sarcastically, ignoring Oshitari's warning look. "God, couldn't you be a little warmer to him? For god's sake, he's your so–"

"Gakuto!" The tensai shot him a look. Hiyoshi looked a little too interested in the conversation, and Gakuto instantly shut up. He grumbled, muttering, "…Your fault if we lose, Atobe."

Atobe resisted the urge to plant the redhead's face into the ground. He turned to the game, watching with critical eyes as Choutarou missed another point.

"15-40!"

He may look outwardly unfeeling towards this particular game, but in truth Atobe was already thinking up the various reasons why his son might be upset, and what he can do to solve it. He wasn't sure what exactly the problem was, and he will not use his Insight on his own son if he could help it, but he was sure that whoever was the cause of it will be skinned alive and be tortured personally by him and Choutarou's mother.

"Game and Match to Seishun Gakuen! 5 games to 1!"

This was bad. He had been running away from his responsibilities as a father for a long as he can remember, not that he was willingly doing it. He had to step up, especially _now_, since he can't bear to see the pain that was on his son's face as they lost another game.

… Be damned the rules. He was _Atobe Keigo_, dammit, and he_ was_ the rule.

"Jirou." He spoke up. "It's time."

The strawberry blond teen opened his eyes immediately, sitting up and standing up from the bench he was laying on. Wide awake, he stood beside Atobe, watching as the Doubles-1 pair retreated to the benches again.

"Our son… needs you."

-/-

Shishido cursed loudly as another game ended. If Seigaku took one more game, they would win. "AAAARGH!" He yelled in frustration, scrunching up the blue hat in his fist. Beside him, Choutarou was completely silent, his lips set into a thin line as he struggled to take another breath, the towel completely covering his head.

He was losing it, he knew very well. As much as he tried to take his mind of it, Kirihara's confession still haunted his mind, as he found himself frequently looking at the bleachers, thinking desperately.

_Which? Which of them are my true parents? _

Before he knew it, the ball was already on their side, and he struggled to keep his mind on the game. But it was turning out to be impossible, and their doubles combination was falling apart.

_We're going to lose,_ he thought desperately. _And it's going to be my fault! What am I going to do? Please tell me what to do!_

_Please help me… _

_Okaa-san…_

"Hey, Shishido!" The capped teen blinked and look up, surprise filling his features as he recognized who that voice belonged to.

"J-Jirou! Why are you awake? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Well~ the crowds were too noisy!" The volley specialist pouted. "And besides, we're losing! How can I sleep through that?"

"Ask _him_." Shishido growled, pointing at his doubles partner. "Maybe you could knock some sense into his head, as I couldn't."

"Then you don't mind if I steal away your place for a bit?" Jirou asked brightly, already tugging Shishido out of his seat. "O-Oi, Jirou!"

"I promisethatIwon'tkeepitlongsobye-byefornow!" Jirou successfully dethroned Shishido and plopped down on the bench, waving at Shishido, who scowled darkly but let him stay, going back to the bleachers to hear an earful from Gakuto.

"Hey, Chou-Chou…" The strawberry blond tweaked the towel, causing to slip off and for Choutarou to look at him in slight shock.

"J-Jirou-senpai!"

"Hi~" Jirou waved cheerfully in front of his face, causing, despite himself, Choutarou to smile, just slightly. "Wh-What are you doing awake, Jirou-senpai? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Choutarou asked, causing Jirou to pout more.

"Mou, why is everyone asking that?" The third year complained, exaggerating a hurt look. "Is me sleeping really better than I'm awake? And everybody's been looking at me as if something weird is going on! I'm usually sleeping, but really, is seeing me awake really that weird, Chou-Chou?"

His tirade caused Choutarou to smile more, even managing to laugh at bit as his senpai complained, seeing that the strawberry blond really didn't mean it. "No, it's not strange, Jirou-senpai." Choutarou answered respectfully, causing the senpai to beam warmly at him.

"Choutarou, you can do it." Jirou suddenly said, smiling gently at the second year. "Focus on the game for now, worries can come later!"

"E-Eh?" Choutarou looked bewildered.

"You know, Shido's been covering for you for the last 14 games." Jirou told him patiently. "He knows how upset you are and he's trying to help get through by giving you time to pull yourself together. But if you don't, his hard work would be put to waste, and that would be bad, right?"

"Y-Yes…" Now Choutarou started to feel a little guilty, feeling as if the third year was lightly scolding him, even through his tone was anything but.

"So now you have to help him back, because he's your partner!"

"But… Jirou-senpai…"

"No buts, Chou-Chou." Choutarou immediately fell silent at the words, even though it was said in a teasing tone. "Don't worry! You and 'Shido can win! And if you do, we'll all be proud of you!"

"R-Really, Jirou-senpai?" Choutarou sounded hopeful, despite himself, wanting to hear the words of encouragement and assurance.

"Of course! 'Shido would be proud of you, also Yuushi and Gaku-chan and Piyo-chan too! But most of all, me and Keigo-chan would be the most proud of you!" The blond grinned, flashing a V-sign on front of the silveret's face. "So cheer up and win mmkay?" He ruffled the silver hair almost fondly, standing up and calling Shishido.

Chtaour opened his mouth and closed it again, speechless. Jirou only giggled and waved back at him, going back to the bleachers and falling promptly asleep on it. Choutarou had to smile, his heart now feeling at ease. No more hesitation, no more confusion. He was finally focused. He could now win.

_Thank you… Jirou-senpai._

-/-

"Game and match to Hyotei Gakuen, 7 games to 5!"

Cheers exploded from Hyotei's side as the school finally took its first win. Choutarou sank to the ground, thoroughly exhausted but terribly pleased that they managed to push through the end. Beside him, his doubles partner was grinning madly, also tired, but still exuberant. Their doubles combination had improved so quickly and drastically that the Golden Pair was visibly surprised, and the momentum they gained was immediately lost as they tried to recover from the shock of seeing their combination in perfect harmony. Choutarou grinned as a hand was offered to him and he stood up, walking towards his team, where the rest of the regulars waited for him.

Gakuto was the first, patting him on the shoulder before growling at Shishido who started to tease him. The tensai smiled, shifting his glasses, already on his way to break the growing fight, whilst Hiyoshi just looked at him and muttered 'Gekokujyou'. Choutarou only smiled and turned, finding himself face to face with the buchou himself.

"Atobe-buchou." He greeted, instantly flooded with great respect and admiration for the older teen. Blue eyes immediately looked into his own, but, strangely, he found himself staring back, as he usually tried to avert the gaze that Atobe gave to him… more than anyone else out of all the regulars. He used to think that he had make a mistake, or that he wasn't doing as well as the others, and he tried to work more, improving his skills, just to remove the captain's gaze on him. It was an unconscious act for him, as he realized it now, because he slowly realized, with startling clarity, what Kirihara Akaya meant.

"_They're closer than you think. And they're always watching out for you, whether you realize it yourself or not. Because they can't tell the truth, they always watch from a distance, trying to care for you in their own way without giving away too much."_

And… Choutarou finally found him. Them.

"No…" He paused, his voice growing stronger as his feelings became more confident, because he knew that he was right.

"Or should I say… Otou-sama?"

Atobe's eyes almost smiled at him, though his manner was as arrogant and as condensing as ever.

"It took you long enough to know, Choutarou." As hurtful as the words were, there was no bite in them, and Choutarou merely smiled, bowing a little in apology.

"I'm sorry, Otou-sama."

"It really can't be helped, though." Atobe sighed and beckoned him to come closer. "Those plebeians we left you with didn't educate Ore-sama's son properly. We must rectify those mistakes at once, because an Atobe does not act so… _humbly_." Atobe made a noise of disgust in his throat and made Choutarou sit beside him, blue eyes staring at the silver haired teen with affection and happiness, a hand ruffling through the silver hair.

"Good job. I'm proud of you."

"T-Thank you!" Choutarou flushed at the compliment, and Atobe gave a real, genuine smile, before calling out to the strawberry blond.

"Jirou, wake up. Meet our son."

At that, Jirou immediately woke up and tackled the second year into a hug.

"Chou-chou!" Jirou squealed happily. "My baby boy!" He all but crushed the younger teen into his chest. "I missed you so much!"

"Jirou, let him go." Atobe rolled his eyes, prying off Jirou's hands from his suffocating son. "We only just had him now, don't kill him."

Jirou pouted and stuck his tongue out at the diva. "Can you blame me? I didn't see my baby boy for a long time and we had to keep us a secret. And Kei-chan, don't act so cold in front of your own son!" He slapped Atobe's arm playfully. "Don't act all stiff! I know that you're just as happy as I am that we have Choutarou again."

At that, Atobe chuckled and pressed a kiss to the soft curls. "Of course I am." He looked at his son fondly.

"You are Atobe Choutarou. My son."

"And I'm your mama, Chou-Chou!" Jirou cuddled the second year in his arms. "Welcome back!"

Choutarou could only smile as felt himself finally complete.

"I'm home, Otou-sama, Okaa-san!"

* * *

And so that concludes the reunion of the Hyotei family. Adorable, no?

As a sincere thanks for all those people who waited patiently for my stories and read them, I would like to grant the **50th** reviewer a fanfic of his/her choice, the pair of choice and a prompt or a main idea that you would like me to do. I would just like to ask to limit the rating to a T one, since I can't write M-rated stories yet.

Reviews and constructive criticism much appreciated.

_**Mitsukai20**_


	8. Defeat and Victory

For the first fic of the year, I've decided that it HAD to be this one, both because this is my most famous work by far and also because I will hit my 20k milestone, my first multi chaptered story with more than 20k archived works. I feel very happy now that I managed to write this much, and that a lot of you loved my stories, especially this one, and So I'll ease your questioning minds a bit and pull through with a new chapter.

Warnings and Disclaimers: Same as the first chapter.

* * *

**Spinoff III-F: Defeat and Victory**

Sanada gave a start as a peculiar feeling started spreading in his chest. His hold on his spouse's hand tightened, causing Yukimura to look at his vice-captain concernedly.

"Gen? What's wrong?" He asked quietly, eyes widening in comprehension as he too felt the tingling sensation. Sanada looked at the Hyotei bleachers, and finding what he was looking for, he quickly understood why.

"Atobe… that guy…" He growled, while Yukimura made a sound of surprise and absolute delight.

"Hey Yuki, what's wrong?" Marui stared the couple curiously. "You two have been muttering to yourselves for some time…"

"It should be impossible, but…" Sanada started, looking at his spouse who looked very pleased and content. "Atobe finally found his son."

"Eh? No shit!" Marui's jaw dropped open while Niou scrambled over to peer at the future Atobe heir. "Puri~ So that's him? The tall one with silver hair?"

"Doesn't he look… erm… too _nice_ to be Atobe's son?" Jackal asked, causing Yanagi and Yukimura to chuckle. "Must take after his mother then." Marui nodded to himself, scrutinizing the silver-haired teen carefully. Sanada continued to grumble, while their son looked up, gaping at the news.

"R-Really?" Akaya can't help but sound extremely happy. His mother nodded at him, smoothing a hand over the dark curls they both continued to watch the continuing matches. At the corner of his eye he saw the data master looking at him, and when he looked at the taller brunet, Yanagi smiled gently at him and mouthed a single sentence before looking at the courts again.

_Good job, Akaya._

The simple praise made him blush darkly to the roots of his hair, causing him to look away, rubbing his neck self-consciously as a giggle made its way past his lips. It was a split second interaction, but it was enough to make butterflies erupt in his stomach. Being as inconspicuous as possible he leaned against his mother, willing the warmth in his cheeks away as he concentrated on the matches to come.

Yukimura's ever watchful eye, however, had seen it all, and had given his future son-in-law and best friend a fond glace before cuddling his son to his side.

-/-

The doubles matches over; it was finally time for the singles matches to start. With Inui squaring off with Hiyoshi and winning, Hyotei was surprised that it was Kawamura who stepped up for Singles-2 and not the tensai nor their rookie ace, and after losing after a good match to Kabaji, it was finally time for Singles-1.

"I'm sorry Taka-san, for putting you out there without any advance notice." Fuji was sitting in the bleachers, surrounded by the rest of his teammates, smiling as the power player assured him that it was fine. He was supposed to be the one playing Singles-2, but Tezuka had put his foot down and requested that the power player do it instead, with Fuji still looking pale and withdrawn. The secret was putting more burden in him than he realized, and as he felt that familiar happy spike in his chest he had almost broken down and cried but had managed not to with careful emotional control. With the others finding their respective sons and reuniting as a family, he was the only mother who hadn't been able to hold his sons in his arms like he wanted to, and it was more than he could bear.

"I'm so sorry, Mitsu." He had apologized more quietly to the captain when this happened, knowing he was also hurting his spouse with his actions. Tezuka had gathered him in his arms to tightly, and Fuji reveled in the comfort of the embrace, letting a few tears escape his eyes as they both shared the price of suffering, in exchange of letting their son be born in the world. Tezuka was torn, his only regret that Fuji was suffering deeper than he was. But he could handle himself better, as he was brought up with logic, emotion taking the back seat of his uptight bringing. But his spouse was brought up with lots of love and tender affection easily shown in the family household. The moment he realized that the Hyotei captain has finally been free of the oath they all took he had reached for his brunet spouse, who was all but ready to face his opponent in the court.

"Don't apologize. Never apologize to me." Tezuka can't help but feel that this was his entire fault. He was the father, after all, the person responsible for putting Fuji in this predicament. He sat beside his partner, never letting his hand go, as the matches proceeded without a hitch.

And so when the Singles-1 match was finally announced, he stood up, pressed a gentle kiss to his spouse's hand and stood up, intending to win with his all, for his team, for his son, for his spouse.

And, most of all, for himself.

-/-

Ryoma watched unblinkingly as the Singles-2 match ended, feeling restless. He was already feeling uneasy when he returned, but when he saw that it wasn't Fuji-senpai who was playing Singles-2, as he should be, concern welled up in his chest, and, despite himself, went towards the older brunet, who smiled at him as he came near. "Ah, Echizen."

The smile didn't quite reach his eyes, and Ryoma found himself scowling internally when the older teen addressed him by his last name, finding that he didn't like it at all. Suddenly wondering why he found himself acting that way, he took at seat beside the tensai, occupying the seat that his captain left behind. "…Senpai."

Both of them were silent, each submerged in their own thoughts. But Fuji was feeling a bit better when his son sat beside him, causing him to tease the younger boy lightly, enjoying the light blush and the stutters of his son. Ryoma, while not liking the attention, can't bear to stand and leave and just opted to let the older teen tease him, a small part of him feeling glad that he was the one who was making the tensai feel better.

-/-

Tezuka observed all of these from afar, and giving a small nod at his son, feeling at ease that his spouse would be fine, he faced the Hyotei captain, shaking hands with him just before the match started.

"It seems to be your unlucky day today, Tezuka." Atobe smirked haughtily. "Don't hold back just because I finally managed to find my own happiness." He added, taking a side glace at his spouse and son.

"Don't worry, Atobe." Tezuka gripped the diva's hand rather harshly before dropping it. "I always give my best, whoever my opponent is."

_Singles-1 match between Atobe Keigo of Hyotei Gakuen and Tezuka Kunimitsu of Seshun Gakuen is starting! One set match! Hyotei's Atobe to serve!_

"Tezuka, remember this day as the day when we Hyotei finally beat Seigaku!"

The ball was served, and the match begun.

-/-

The Singles-1 match was the most intense and long-running in the game, with neither side giving away a single point. Atobe's good mood and fierce desire to win was evenly matched against Tezuka's grim determination and passionate play. Choutarou stared mesmerized as he watched his father battle it out with Seigaku, his quick shots and powerful serves leaving the younger teen breathless. So this was his father's true tennis ability? He can't believe it himself.

"W-Wow… They're like… on a different level than the rest of us…" Caramel brown eyes were wide as the rally continued. "Is this… Otou-sama's real tennis ability…?"

"I'm glad… that Keigo's playing like that again." Jirou was wide awake, actually serious for once in his life as he too watched the game unblinkingly. He gave a brief smile at his son who blinked owlishly at him.

"Okaa-san! You're awake!"

"I'm usually awake when Keigo's playing, Choutarou. You just don't notice it yet." Jirou explained with a wink before turning back to the courts, speaking out loud again, though he sounded as if he was talking more to himself than at his son.

"Finally… he's showing his true skills again after all this time."

"W-What do you mean, Okaa-san? You mean… Otou-sama has been going easy on all of us all this time?"

"Not necessarily going easy, Chou-Chou," He ruffled the bright silver hair affectionately. "But, after you were taken from us, your father's play has… how do I explain this… had become less passionate, I guess you could say. It's as if he lost his reason for playing tennis, and that he's merely forcing himself to play as Hyotei's tennis captain. Losing you has been very hard on him, even though we'll meet you later on, he still wanted to spoil his only son rotten." Jirou gave a smile at that. "Now that you're back, he's stopped holding back on himself and he's finally enjoying tennis again. Thank you, Chou-Chou." Jirou pressed a kiss to his son's forehead, giggling when the younger teen blushed at the contact.

"No, I didn't really do anything…" He stammered back, but his mother's expression made him stop.

"But you have, Choutarou. You see?" The blond teen gestured to the match playing in front of the both of them. "Your father is playing hard for Hyotei, for the team, for himself… and for us." Jirou held his son's hand, leaning against him.

"So believe in yourself Choutarou. You aren't our son for nothing you know." Identical brown eyes twinkled merrily back as the usually sleepy blond patted his son's hand and continued to watch the game in silence.

-/-

"I can see it Tezuka… your suffering." Atobe was in his infamous Insight pose, staring at the Seigaku captain who looked stoically back at him. "Still physically fit, but your soul roars in distress. Shall we stop now and declare Hyotei the winners before you break yourself once again?"

Tezuka sharply lifted his racket at the diva's face as a reply. "Serve and stop this pointless talk." His voice was still the same, but a hint of iciness can be heard if one would observe more closely; he was stung more than anyone would realize.

"Heh, as you wish." Atobe smirked back, not pursuing the subject further, but he knew that he had hit a nerve. Putting the ball into play, the match continued, minutes slowly into hours as set by set was agonizingly won by the both of them, with Tezuka feeling determined more than ever to steal the win from Atobe's hands.

Finally the match stopped at a six-all tiebreak, with everyone waiting with bated breath as the captains retied to the benches for some much needed rest.

"What are you dallying for, Atobe?" Sakaki Taro had snapped once the heir sat down and took a swig of his bottle, looking elegantly exhausted, a look only he can pull off without anyone laughing at his face. "You're playing around again."

"Damn… That Tezuka…" Atobe exhaled a heavy breath, smiling despite the struggle he was facing against his longtime tennis rival. "It seems that he has a little more backbone now than the last time…"

"Keigo! Are you all right?" A familiar voice squealed out, and Atobe looked up and behind him to see his spouse leaning on the edge on the bleachers, almost toppling down if not for the fact that their tall-haired son was holding his petite mother back.

"Okaa-san, be careful! You might get hurt!"

"Our son is right, Jirou." Atobe stood up and offered a small, wan but genuine smile at his family. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Are you sure, Keigo?" The blond pouted worriedly. "Can you still continue?"

"You have so little faith in me, Jirou." The Hyotei captain pressed a hand to a porcelain cheek. "I'll end this as quickly as I can." His gaze flickered to the other side of the bleachers quickly before settling again on his adorable blond spouse. "Just sit there with Choutarou and cheer me on."

"Otou-sama!" Atobe looked up to his tall son, ice blue and bright brown eyes meeting each other in a cool, steady gaze.

"Good luck!" Choutarou said determinedly. "I know you can win!"

Atobe nodded imperiously, his gaze towards his son turning soft before looking at the mother of his child. "Choutarou, take care of your mother for me."

"Of course, Otou-sama."

And with that, he turned his back to face the courts once again, raising his hand up to start the Hyotei chant.

"You don't believe Ore-sama can't win? Start cheering!"

His fingers snapped, and almost at once the volume from Hyotei swelled to the point of being indiscernible.

"The winner will be Hyotei! The winner will be Hyotei! The winner will be Atobe! The winner will be Atobe!"

"Tezuka!" Atobe pointed a hand towards the Seigaku captain. "Let's finish this!"

-/-

Fuji couldn't bear to watch the match anymore. While he knew that his spouse would rather die than forfeit, Tezuka was just pushing himself too much for this one match, and Fuji silently feared that his injury would recur, despite the fact that Tezuka was completely healed already.

"_If you want me to stop this match, just say it and I would." Tezuka had told him quietly during the break, away from the other regulars. Fuji had shook his head then, placing a hand on his spouse's arm._

"_I wouldn't stop you even if I could." The smile was back in its place, beautifully fragile and brittle that Tezuka wanted to slay dragons just to wipe it off his face. "Just win." Fuji whispered._

Fuji knew that he were to speak now, Tezuka would call off the match in an instant and would never begrudge him for Seigaku's defeat. But Fuji wouldn't forgive himself if he were to interfere in a game with Tezuka's pride and reputation on the line. He trusted Tezuka completely of course, but when it comes to tennis, Tezuka would willingly give up an arm and a leg for it, something that Fuji could do without.

"Kunimitsu…" He whispered to himself, watching the long rally of the tie-breaker. "Please, win."

"Fuji-senpai…" Beside him, Ryoma was really starting to get worried. The older teen looked like he was on the verge of breaking down, sapphire eyes actually open and looking concernedly at the brunet captain. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Huh?" Blue orbs trained on him, and the capped been was visibly surprised to see the telltale sign of tears glimmering in his eyes. Almost at once Ryoma instinctively reached out and slowly wiped away the pearly liquid that threatened to fall to his cheeks.

"Don't cry, Fuji-senpai." He found himself saying. "Tezuka-buchou will win. I know he will." Suddenly he felt awkward, quickly retracting his hand back and pushing his cap closer to hide the expression on his face. Fuji blinked at him, a small genuine smile starting to show on his face, once again seeing his spouse in his son and their similarly awkward moments when it came to talking with people.

_He is too much like Kunimitsu, _Fuji thought fondly, feeling marginally better now, continuing to watch with renewed faith.

_Don't disappoint our son, Kunimitsu. You have to win… for him._

-/-

Shocked eyes can't seem to look away as Tezuka and Atobe duel it out in what seemed to be a do or die tennis death match. Both sides played out to their best abilities, neither of them willing to lost a single point to the other, pushing the Singles-1 match into a 50-all tiebreak.

"Hey, are they human?" Niou finally broke the silence as the captains retied once more to their respective benches. "Can they still continue? The match has been going on for three hours already!"

"This match isn't about on who is the better player anymore." Yanagi said seriously.

"The person who has the stronger will to win… will be the winner."

Sanada surprisingly, added when the declaration was voiced out with his own thoughts. "This is a battle between honor. It's their pride that is on the line, possibly including… even more." His eyes edged over to his rivals, lingering on them as he gave Yukimura's hand a faint squeeze. "If it were me…. I would also be the same."

"Gen…" Worried blue eyes trained on him. "I couldn't let you play out a match this long."

"But you would, because even if you can, you wouldn't." Sanada answered matter-of-factly. "You know very well what I–_you_ would feel if you did."

"I would feel horrible, I know." Yukimura answered softly, and then said, more quietly, "I think… I know who will win."

"… I as well. This match is going to end now."

"I think that it already had."

-/-

"_Game and match to Tezuka, seven games to six! Seishun Gakuen wins with a score of 3-2 against Hyotei Gakuen! Seishun Gakuen will now proceed to the semi-finals!"_

It was like an explosion had gone off in Seigaku's side as Tezuka finally collapsed, giving in to the exhaustion of his body. But he seemed pleased, the makings of a smile tugging against his lips. Standing up tiredly, he met Atobe's hand in a shake of comradeship, visibly surprised when Atobe raised his hand up again, like that time when they played against each other in the Kantou Regionals.

"You won against me Tezuka, so don't you dare lose to anyone else." Blue eyes flickered over to the bleachers, and instantly Tezuka knew what he meant.

"Ah, I know." Their hands were put down and they shared a mutual look of understanding before Atobe gave him a small, but otherwise noticeable smile as he cocked his head over to where the rest of the regulars sat.

"He would know eventually, Tezuka. He's your brat after all."

Tezuka wasn't able to answer as the other captain quickly moved away after that, meeting the disappointed stares of his teammates. Tezuka tried to ignore the hard sting of envy as he saw Atobe hug his own spouse and their son, and thought it better to not dwell too much about it, going over to his side where the rest of the regulars quickly surrounded him.

"Tezuka, that was a good game!"

"Tezuka, you're so great, nya!"

"Buchou, congratulations."

"Thank you, everyone." He addressed them all. "We all played our best today. Let's now rest up for the next match to come." His gaze centered on Fuji, who beaming proudly up at him, relieved that his spouse was decidedly more cheerful now that he had won.

"Yes, Tezuka-buchou!" The Seigaku team answered in chorus.

"Ne, ne, who're we going to play against the semi-finals?" Eiji asked in general. "Who won the games yesterday?"

"_Everyone, thank you for seeing the games today. The semi-finals will be the day after tomorrow, and the schools would be playing are as follows:"_

"I have a good guess, Kikumaru." Inui answered him grimly.

"Nya? Who? Who is it?"

"_Midoriyama vs. Nagoya Seitoku, and–"_

"Look there," Kaidoh pointed towards the bleachers. The rest of the regulars followed his lead, and they already knew who they were going to play next.

"_Seishun Gakuen vs.–"_

Fuji finished softly with the announcer at the same time.

"Rikkaidai Fuzoku."

* * *

FINALLY finished the Hyotei vs. Seigaku match, but I'm afraid that the Seigaku reunion will happen later on in the story. Don't worry, in the next chapter I'll be focusing on Seigaku next, because Fuji is one of my favorite characters and I don't want him suffering too much. I'm sorry if it's too OOC, but I think that's what every parent would feel when they're so close to their child, and yet so far away from them. That and the realization that the others had found their children as well has put a big strain on Fuji, since he's the only mother nearby who's still shadowed by the secret. I hope that that made sense.

Reviews and comments much appreciated.

_**Mitsukai20**_


	9. Suspicions and Vague Jealousy

Hey guys, Mitsukai here again for another installment of **To Be a Sanada**. I'm so sorry for the late delay, as I've told you, our computer crashed, and I had to made this out of scratch again. And also because of the demands of university life that I've put this off for as long as possible, but because of the request of **Jessy-star-punk-pop** that I update this story (and she even translated her request to me in English so I would be able to understand it) I've kicked my ass in gear and managed to cover most that I've written before and added some into it.

On another note, **To Be a Sanada** is approaching its 1st year anniversary, and I sincerely thank you guys for your understanding and continuing to read this story. it's close to a hundred reviews, and I hope that I'll reach the hundred mark on the day this was posted, which I would have another chapter ready by then.

Warnings and Disclaimers: First chapter.

* * *

**Spinoff III-G: Suspicions and Vague Jealousy**

Tezuka kept his stare steady at their eventual opponents, never breaking eye contact with Sanada Genichirou as he rallied his teammates to fix up so they could leave and celebrate, unwittingly turning it again into another one of their unofficial matches as the Rikkaidai vice-captain did likewise, never leaving his gaze at his rival. It seemed it would never end, this impromptu tiff between them, if not for Yukimura and Fuji who had noticed and had restrained their respective spouses discreetly, with Yukimura placing a hand on Sanada's arm, and with Fuji grasping Tezuka's hand as they both gave mutual looks of exasperation and apology to each other before forcing them to pay attention to much more important matters.

"Mitsu." The tensai's voice was soft, and yet held a degree of reprimand and a tinge of amusement when he had jerked his spouse back to reality. "Don't worry; you'll meet each other at the courts soon."

Tezuka nodded his acquiesce, though his actions showed a bit of sheepishness, the first to turn away and bark our orders, aware of the intense stare at his back until he was sure that Yukimura had managed to tug his team away from their sight. With Rikkaidai gone, Tezuka exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding, shaking wayward thoughts out of his mind. He shouldn't be tense, especially since he had just finished his match right now and hasn't sufficiently rested yet.

The touch of cloth against his skin startled him, and his eyes flickered up, seeing the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes on taking care of him gently and tenderly, a towel pressed against his cheek and neck, soaking up the sweat that clung to his body. Fuji smiled at him, a more reserved, but more brilliant and definitely more special smile that had Tezuka smiling back, a small one, yes, but it was enough to confirm what everybody else knew. The Seigaku regulars knew well when not to interrupt a moment between them, only giving them a smile of their own and trying to finish up the packing as long and as quietly as they could, in a considerable distance, of course, out of consideration to their friends.

Tezuka leaned into the touch, letting Fuji take care of him, a rare moment of vulnerability, one that had Fuji gazing at him affectionately. To the outsiders watching them, they looked like the perfect, happy couple, though both male, and even the most homophobic and oblivious person can't deny on how well they fit each other, and that the deep love that was shared between them was almost tangible to the senses.

But even in complete contentment in their intimacy, they both knew that there was someone missing; the ultimate proof of their love for one another, one that had bore fruit during their second year that left them with an irreplaceable hole in their chest as they both agreed to pay the price of their forbidden relationship.

Their son.

"Ryoma's very frustrated that he didn't get to play." Fuji's voice was full of mirth, looking pointedly at the taller brunet as he tried to stifle his chuckles. "It reminded me of someone who's very similar…"

Tezuka refused to rise to the bait, already used to his spouse's light teasing, though he can't help the very light shade of pink that appeared on his face as he was reminded of his younger days. "He needs to learn that he can't always have his way. And it will ensure that he will be in top form in our match against Rikkaidai."

"Rikkaidai… huh…" Fuji looked a little lost in thought at that, and immediately Tezuka understood. Sighing a little, he leaned down and pressed their foreheads together, his brown eyes looking deep into lost-looking blue orbs. Fuji eventually focused on him, and Tezuka chose that moment to comfort his spouse in the only way he could, devoid of words but almost overflowing in emotion with action, not caring if they were in public, or that they were being seen by others. Fuji smiled in to the kiss, gently pressing back, washed away by the warmth he felt, knowing that he was loved and taken care of by this wonderful man he never expected to love as deeply and as passionately as this.

They parted, oblivious to the gazes upon them as Fuji smiled, more tenderly this time, before finishing up and turning back to the team who had everything ready and was only waiting for them.

"Sorry. We got held up." Fuji's ever ethereal expression was back on his face. "So where are we celebrating?"

As Eiji and Momoshiro fired off suggestions, their good spirits raising the team morale, Fuji left Tezuka to his devices, opting to join the others to leave the care of their son to his capable spouse; Ryoma was pouting and was letting off some steam by hitting the wall again and again, trying not to feel disappointed and hurt at the captain for not letting him play.

The capped teenager was oblivious to the third year coming into the courts, his concentration broken when the captain's usual cool, stoic voice intruded his thoughts.

"Echizen."

Ryoma stopped and looked up, the piercing stare making him look down, feeling as if he had been caught doing something wrong, though he really wasn't doing anything… save for sulking a little bit.

"Buchou." He put down his racket immediately unconsciously, turning his attention to the other teen. "What is it?"

"Let's go. Everyone is waiting." Tezuka made to turn back, but a voice stopped him from doing so.

"Buchou, why… why didn't you let me play?" Ryoma's tone was hurt but at the same time angry. Why? Why wasn't he able to play? He's already proved himself to be strong, hadn't he? He made it to the regulars after all. Does this mean that, despite the training he had gone though, his buchou hadn't acknowledged his tennis skills? The thought brought a sting of hurt in his pride and in his heart.

Tezuka didn't fully face his son, but instead tilted his head, indicating that he was listening, but was unwilling to talk about it.

"I have my own reasons." With Fuji in such a slump, Tezuka thought it better to make his son interact with his mother more often, as much as possible without telling their secret outright, hoping that that would make it more bearable for his brunet spouse. He worried for his family terribly, and was willing to sacrifice the win of his team for it, never mind that it made him look selfish. "And it will ensure that you're in top form for the semi-finals. Don't question my decision on this, Echizen." He continued more sternly when it showed that his son wasn't going to let it down. "It was for the good of the team."

Ryoma stubbornly opened his mouth again to protest, but something inside him won't let the words out, and just moodily followed his captain out into the parking lot, half angry, half-wondering why he couldn't answer the other teen back as rudely as he wanted to.

As they passed the tennis courts, Ryoma saw another vending machine, and, having told the older teen that he wanted a drink, immediately went for it, getting the grape Ponta and taking a good long gulp, trying to arrange his thoughts, and just was he turned back to his team, he was immediately face-to-face with a person he hadn't expected to see until the day after tomorrow.

"Yukimura-san." He said, stunned.

"Echizen-kun." The Rikkai captain smiled at him, gentle and kind and none of the bloodlust that was usually present during tennis matches. "Aren't Seigaku heading out already?" He asked with interest, gesturing to his tennis bag. "We are also getting some rest for our match on the semi-finals."

"Ah… yes." Ryoma really didn't know what to say to him. The only time he saw the older teen was on the courts, and the show of friendliness was completely unexpected, as he was known to be ruthless on the courts. Instinctively Ryoma wanted a match with him, but it was neither the time nor the place. "Buchou and the others are waiting for me." He said rather lamely when the silence became longer than usual.

"Ah, I see." Depthless blue eyes looked at him, so deep and soul-searching, but it was gone as quickly as it came, his eyes returning to the friendly depth.

"Echizen-kun, sometimes we cannot see the truth because it is right in front of our eyes. So take a few steps back to see it clearly." Yukimura raised his hand to pat his head briefly, before heading out again.

"I'll see you and your team on the courts then, Echizen-kun."

"W-What…?" Surprised, Ryoma went up to touch his hair, feeling the warmth when the older teen had touched it just moments before.

_To see the truth… what did he mean by that? And… his hand felt so warm…_

-/-

Yukimura went back to where his team was waiting, but was startled when a pair of arms suddenly went around his waist and a wild mass of curls obscured his vision.

"Akaya." He petted the curly hair fondly, his smile covering up for the short burst of surprise he felt. "What's wrong?" He asked when he felt his son's arms tighten around his midsection.

"You're my Okaa-san, right?" Green eyes looked up at him, and Akaya was positively pouting, almost clinging to his captain.

Yukimura looked up from his youngest to exchange glances with the rest of the team, who only shrugged in confusion, though his spouse had an inkling of understanding in his features. "Of course I am, sweetheart." Gently he pried off the arms around him without any effort, holding it firmly in his hands as Akaya only pouted more. "Now what's this about, Akaya?"

"Don't become Echizen's Okaa-san!" Suddenly Akaya was hugging him again, jealousy laced in his upset tone. "I saw you patting his head earlier! I won't let him take you away from me! I swear I won't! He has his own Okaa-san, and I won't let him take mine!" He declared fiercely.

"…What on…" Yukimura was extremely baffled, turning to Sanada for some help, and was relieved when the vice-captain seemed to comprehend and peeled the distraught junior off his worried mother. But Akaya stayed stubbornly silent, even as his parents asked him what was wrong, and remained sulking the rest of the way back, and Yanagi assured the worried couple that he'll update them as soon as he knows what's wrong, though he has an idea already.

-/-

Echizen Ryoma had a restless sleep. Despite himself, he found himself thinking about the Rikkaidai captain's words over and over again, and was preoccupied all throughout the morning. Escaping his father's perverted conversation and his attempt to make him do housework, he managed to get out of the house, tennis bag in hand, intent on working off his thoughts in an exhausting tennis match.

What he didn't count on, however, was meeting his senpai on the way to the street courts, and with some coercion, he found himself walking side by side with Fuji Shuusuke to a nearby café.

"It's good that I met you Echizen, otherwise I'd be alone today." The brunet chuckled, smiling in that terribly vague way of his as they sat down and ordered. Unconsciously Ryoma found himself looking at the older teen intently, as if trying to see if he was really okay.

"Fuji-senpai… are you okay now?"

"Hm?" The genius looked up from studying the menu and waved the question away, smiling more genuinely now. "Oh, I feel fine now. Saa, you must be very worried about me." He teased lightly, chuckling when the younger teen looked away and muttered something under his breath, looking at the freshman with an affectionate look. "Do you want to eat something? My treat," he added, winking (how he was able to do that with his eyes closed, Ryoma had no idea).

They were silent for the most part, eating in comfortable silence, with Ryoma once in a while studying his senpai, toying with the idea of telling him what transpired between him and the Rikkaidai captain. While the tensai might be slightly more insane than the rest of his team, he was more understanding, and he had a feeling that out of all the people he knew, Fuji-senpai might be the one to tell him what that cryptic message might mean.

Before he knew it, he told the older brunet everything, and waited as he poked at his parfait, watching the other teen hum thoughtfully.

"So Yukimura told you that…" Internally Fuji thanked the gods for Yukimura Seiichi, his husband-to-be and their son. If not for them, all of them would be in misery and would have to wait longer before finally meeting their children. Truthfully he had been resentful when he realized that they were reunited much earlier than intended, but when he heard Kirihara Akaya's plan, he couldn't help but feel very thankful about it. "Why does it bother you, Echizen?"

Honestly, Ryoma didn't know himself, but it served to irritate him enough to not get enough sleep. "I really don't know, Fuji-senpai." He sighed, feeling more at ease now that he wasn't being teased. Somehow, just sitting like this… it made him feel more comfortable than he should be, considering that this was Fuji-senpai he was talking about. "But it's very annoying."

Internally Fuji sighed. It seemed, like his father, Ryoma lacked the skills needed for deciphering deceptively subtle sentences. He had always said that Ryoma took after his spouse too much and briefly he wondered what qualities Ryoma had gotten from him before turning back to the conversation at hand.

"Why don't you follow his advice then?" Fuji leaned forward, resting the top of chin on his steepled hands, propping his elbows on the table as he surveyed his son's expression. "What did he say again? To take a few steps back…" He released his hand to briefly touch the younger boy's cheek, whose golden colored eyes widened at the sudden touch.

"So you would be able to see things more clearly." Fuji took his hand back and gave a smile. "You have nothing to lose, after all."

Echizen opened his mouth to say something, and when nothing came out, opted to just shovel the rest of the dessert in his mouth, feeling discomfited, while a pair of glittering blue eyes peeking out from half-lidded eyelids watched on, chuckling softly.

_You really are my son, aren't you, Ryoma?_

-/-

Spending time with Fuji Shuusuke didn't really put Echizen Ryoma's mind at ease. In fact, he felt almost flustered in the company of the older teen, not because they looked like a couple, but because he felt like a little kid being coddled on by his mother in public, however strange that feeling might be.

"Fuji-senpai…" He muttered for the nth time this day, almost whining as the older brunet ruffled his hair and giggled. "Could you please stop this already? It's annoying."

"But you look so cute~" They were in a costume shop, and suddenly the tensai had this brilliant idea of dressing him up in ridiculous outfits, and he didn't dare say no for fear of angering Fuji Shuusuke, and the results would be catastrophic indeed.

But… seeing him genuinely laughing and smiling (even though it was in his own embarrassing expense) made Ryoma feel better, almost smiling himself as he allowed the brunet to clothe him in the most bizarre of costumes, no matter how uncomfortable it may be for him.

"I wish I brought my camera with me…" Fuji sighed almost regretfully, nostalgia creeping in as he placed the younger teen in a prince costume. He missed playing dress up with his boy, as he always did when he was just a baby, to Tezuka's exasperation at times. "It would be a great addition to his baby pictures…"

"Baby pictures?" Why would Fuji-senpai have his baby pictures? Unless there was something he missed, none of the regulars would have seen his pictures as a kid, unless his pervert of a father had something to do with it.

Realizing that he made a slip, Fuji backtracked quickly, sensing Ryoma's immediate interest and suspicion. "Saa… to add with the others, of course." He smiled wickedly. "I should let you see them all one day."

"No thanks, senpai." It wouldn't surprise him if the team's resident sadist had baby pictures of all of them, but why did having baby pictures of him affect him this much? He wondered as the day ended and he was back in his own room, once again not able to sleep as the words and memories of today haunted him.

Why did it make him feel so happy and sad at the same time?

-/-

Class was over, tennis practice finished, and yet a lone student stayed sitting in the clubroom, a stack of papers on one corner on a coffee table and one piece staying in the middle of the table, the last piece of paperwork needed to be done before the start of the semi-finals the next day. Yukimura Seiichi was trying to stave off the headache that was coming on, exhausted with the last-minute practice he and his team went through in preparation for tomorrow's matches. He only had the line-up to fill up, purposefully leaving it for the last so he could think about it more clearly.

"Seiichi?" The sound of his name made him look up, an apologetic smile gracing his features as he saw how late it was already. He was supposed to be relaxing right now, he promised Sanada, but old habits die hard, especially when this close to winning the competition. He felt the couch dip beside him as Sanada took a seat, feeling the brown eyed gaze burn holes in his neck.

"I'm already finished, I just need to do this," he assured his vice-captain, poring over the sheet at once. But he didn't expect the hand that stopped his hand from writing, and the stern but worried look that crossed his vice-captain's face.

"You promised, now come here."

Yukimura sighed a little and shifted in his seat, letting himself be enveloped in strong arms as he relaxed, closing his eyes as he felt the tension in his body slowly melt away.

"I could use a break." He finally admitted sheepishly.

"Vice-captains are here to ensure that their captain doesn't overwork themselves to death." Yukimura had been inside the clubroom ever since practice ended, and too much stress wouldn't be good for him. Sanada was concerned, especially when he saw the amount of paperwork left, and Yukimura had forbidden him to do it for him. "You need to rest. The semi-finals are tomorrow."

"I know." Yukimura snuggled closer, leaning his head on Sanada's chest, the steady beat of his heart lulling him into a deep calm. "I still have to think about the line-up for tomorrow, though."

"Let me see." Sanada's hand left his back to reach for the paper lying innocently on the table, returning back to reclining on the sofa so they could look at it together. "Doubles-1 is Niou and Yagyuu?"

"Seigaku's Doubles-1 would most definitely be their Golden Pair. Niou and Yagyuu's doubles combination is unpredictable compared to Oishi and Kikumaru, so they would have to put up a fight." Yukimura smiled. "I had considered making Marui and Jackal play against them, but Seigaku will be expecting that we put our best doubles combination against theirs. They will be thoroughly researched on."

"So you put Marui and Jackal first, so whoever they play against, it will ensure our win at once, and it will weaken their morale." Sanada nodded, following along the train of thought, his fingers massaging the back of the other teen's neck. "How about Singles?"

"That's the problem, I'm afraid." Completely at ease now, Yukimura raised his finger to tap at the three blanks boxes reserved for the Singles players. "Of course, I'm planning to put you and Akaya in, but I'm not sure if I should go in as well."

This surprised Sanada. "You're playing reserve?"

"I'm thinking about it." Yukimura hummed a little in thought. "I'm trying to place myself in Tezuka's shoes right now. He won't let Fuji play, I'm sure, and I know that he would want to play against you. He would also be entering Echizen in Singles, but I don't know where. What do you think?"

They stayed silent, trying to figure out the best line up against Seigaku, until Sanada spoke up.

"Put me in Singles-3. Tezuka's playing Singles-3. I'm sure of it."

"How can you be sure?" Yukimura looked up at his vice-captain, visibly surprised.

"There's a chance that we might lose one or even both the doubles matches. If that happens, Seigaku will want to bring the momentum to their side by sending their most powerful player in." His hold on Yukimura's waist tightened as his expression darkened visibly. "I'm not going to allow that. By letting me in Singles-3, I could control the flow of the game and stop them from getting too full of themselves."

"Gen…"

"Please, Seiichi. Trust me."

"… All right." Yukimura smiled softly, agreeing to Sanada's wishes. "Singles-3 is filled, and what about the others?"

"I'll leave that to you." Sanada briefly kissed Yukimura's forehead, a sign of gratitude, as they both pondered on other possible combinations. Before long they finally had their line-up for the next day.

"And that's done." The captain breathed a sigh in relief, feeling happier now that he had some company, and whose company could be better than his own husband-to-be's? He raised his chin up and brushed his lips over a strong jaw as they stood up and prepared themselves to go home.

"Gen, what about Akaya? I saw Renji talking to you about him…"

Sanada had to resist the urge to smile when he found out the reason why Akaya was so upset a few hours before. He was being protective of his mother, and Sanada highly approved of it, something that he knew wouldn't sit well with his blue-haired spouse. "Akaya is just going through a phase. He'll be fine tomorrow." It was a talk between men, not that he was saying that his spouse wasn't a man, but it was a talk between father and son about the mutual person they both love, and he intended to keep it that way. "He's just territorial, that's all."

"With what?" Yukimura was puzzled.

Sanada gave a small smile and gave a quick kiss against Yukimura's temple as they exited the clubroom.

"Don't worry about it, Seiichi."

-/-

The day dawned bright and clear, the flags of Rikkaidai Fuzoku and Seishun Gakuen fluttering with the wind as the boy's tennis team faced each other in the tennis courts.

It was time for the semi-finals.

* * *

It's time for the Rikkai vs. Seigaku showdown! I've got this all in my mind already, and the only thing I can assure you is that the Seigaku reunion will be soon enough.

Reviews and comments appreciated.

**_Mitsukai20_**


	10. First Generation Rivalry

This is, to date, the longest chapter I've written for this story. School's just over for summer break, and not surprisingly, I have a lot of time on my hands, so yes, you could expect me to write more in the next two months, as long as inspiration would still strike.

This was supposed to be posted on the day of the anniversary, but I'm sure that most of you wouldn't want to wait long, so without further ado, the awaited match of Seigaku vs. Rikkaidai.

Warnings and Disclaimers: Same as first chapter.

* * *

**Spinoff III-H: First Generation Rivalry**

The Seigaku and Rikkaidai tennis teams were on edge, just moments before they were called on to start the semi-finals. Yukimura called on the regulars for a huddle, and they all approached, grinning and confident, just like champions were supposed to be.

"So, what's the lineup today?" Marui popped a small bubble, chewing nonstop on his mint gum as he stood beside Jackal, racket in hand. "I'm Singles-1?" He asked with a grin.

"You wish, fatty," Niou retorted, slinging an arm around Yagyuu, who adjusted his glasses slightly, but didn't even bother to take the arm off him. "The world will freeze over before you become Singles-1."

"Why you–"

"Now now children," Yukimura interrupted pleasantly, sitting on a bench in between Sanada and Yanagi, smiling at his team. "Fight later, focus now. After this is finished I give you free reign to jump at each other, provided that you don't do anything permanent. Now," he continued, not giving both of them the chance to retort back to each other. "Today's the semi-finals, and I know that you're all ready to face Seigaku today. Just do your best, play as you've always done, and I expect every game to be finished in twenty minutes, maximum."

"Yes buchou," They chorused, and their captain smiled more sweetly.

"Wonderful! For our doubles matches, D1 is Niou and Yagyuu and D2 is Marui and Jackal." He turned to their prized doubles pair. "You two, make sure to bring the tide to our side quickly and pulverize their morale as soon as possible. Niou, Yagyuu, I want you to examine Seigaku's doubles combination carefully. They are good, but I'm sure that you'll be better." He gave them a feral smile. "Can I trust you with that?"

"No worries, Yukimura. We got it." Jackal nodded, sharing a look with his strawberry haired partner, who grinned back.

"Puri." Niou had no other words to say but that, and Yagyuu had the hint of a smirk in his usually calm face, assuring Yukimura of their understanding.

"Now that's done, it's time for the Singles matches." At the corner of his eye he saw his curly haired son turning red with impatience, and he chuckled quietly, catching his spouse's eye and exchanging a quick smile with him.

"Singles-3 is you, Genichirou. Need I say anything?"

"None." The vice-captain of Rikkaidai stood as stern as always. "I'll assure our victory."

"Renji?" The captain turned to his best friend, who had been silent all throughout this time. "Singles-2 belongs to you now."

"As I thought you would say, Seiichi." The data master quipped, a hint of gold showing behind his normally closed eyelids. "I'll do my best then."

And finally Akaya couldn't take it anymore.

"Okaa-san! Don't tell me I'm not going to play!" In an instant he was beside the blue-haired teen, openly beseeching with his bright green eyes. "I don't wanna be a reserve! Kick Marui-senpai out of Doubles-2, I don't care! Just don't let me be a reserve!"

"Don't take away my spot you brat!" Marui was ready to strangle the younger teen to death, but Jackal held him back, as always.

"Akaya, sweetheart, you didn't let me finish." Yukimura tucked a stray black hair behind an ear as he chuckled, exchanging an amused glance with his vice-captain.

"The reason why I didn't call you yet is because you're the one playing Singles-1."

"And–" It took a moment for the words to sink into his brain. "What?"

Now Yukimura laughed, completely amused, as he gave his stupefied son a nod. "You'll be Singles-1 for the semi-finals. Don't make me regret that decision, Akaya." He patted his son's cheek fondly and stood up, the jacket draped over his shoulders once more as the speakers called for them to stand on the courts.

_The semi-finals match between Rikkaidai Fuzoku and Seishun Gakuen will start shortly! Players, please assemble yourself on the courts! I repeat…_

"Now everyone, shall we get going?" He addressed the group, more specifically his youngest, who was still standing there, stunned, at the revelation. "Akaya, if you don't get a move on I'll have to sign in my Single-1 as unable to play and have to stand in for him as the reserve." That got Akaya moving, stuttering, scrambling to catch up as they finally entered the courts, seeing the Seigaku team on the other side.

"Holy–I can't believe that I'm… Am I really Singles–?"

"Yes, Akaya, you are." Yukimura fought the urge to giggle in amusement as they approached their side of the bleachers. "Your father and I thought that it's time for you to step up and show us how much you've improved." And then the captain raised his eyebrow in question. "Or do you want me to do it instead?"

"N-No! Of course not! Thank you Okaa-san!" Akaya gave his mother a fierce and tight hug, unable to believe that his parents trusted him that much. "I won't let you down! I'll definitely win!"

"That's my son." Yukimura smiled softly and patted his son on the head, gently pulling him away to stand in line with the rest. "Now, let's go out there and win."

-/-

The doubles matches went off without a hitch, with Marui and Jackal immediately scoring a 7-5 win against Seigaku's Momoshiro-Kaidoh pair. Rikkaidai tried for another win, but was defeated by the Golden Pair in Doubles-1, one that had Niou and Yagyuu sporting identical slaps by Sanada, as per their rules when they would lose their match. After hearing a soft earful from their captain, the doubles matches were over, and it was finally time for singles.

_Rikkaidai Fuzoku: Sanada Genichirou vs. Seishun Gakuen's Tezuka Kunimitsu (Singles-3)_

"You were right." Yukimura commented lightly as the names disappeared to form the scoreboard. "They were planning for Tezuka to play Singles-3."

Sanada didn't comment as he took off his jersey and placed it on the backrest of the bench, adjusting his cap, finishing his warm up. Yukimura stood up, grabbing his spouse's racket by the side and pressing it to Sanada's hands, staring at determined brown eyes. "Do your best."

Sanada answered by raising a hand and touching the captain's face, aware of Seigaku's blatant stares at them as his fingers traced the curve of a cheek. "I'll win this time."

Yukimura smiled. "I know you will."

-/-

Tezuka didn't look surprised as the Rikkdaidai vice-captain stood up as the Singles-3 match as announced, already expecting it to happen. He too prepared himself for the match, jersey off and going down to the side of the courts as soon as it was cleared up.

"This is the match you've been waiting for, Tezuka. Make it good." Coach Ryuuzaki clapped the captain on the arm.

"Ah." He answered stoically, adjusting his racket strings, trying not to look at the other side of the courts, where he knew that his rival and his partner were speaking privately, their happiness stabbing at his heart in small pinpricks. The empathic connection between all of them was worse than ever, and Tezuka could feel the depression creeping into his very system, trying to make him lose focus.

He caught a silver of blue as his spouse beckoned to him silently, and he approached, Fuji almost leaning over him as he shifted his head slightly over to Rikkaidai's side. "Are you okay, Mitsu?"

Tezuka nodded automatically, and before he knew it, his head was tilted up and a sweet, lingering kiss was pressed on his lips, making him freeze as he heard the shocked gasps from the others. But almost at once he relaxed at the familiar touch, his eyes slowly opening as Fuji gave him a mischievous smile, reality coming down on him in one big splash.

Tezuka will certainly not _blush_. He fumbled, stepping back, adjusting his glasses to hide his mortification. "Shuusuke…"

"For luck." Fuji smiled at him winningly. "Love you."

Tezuka didn't dignify that stunt with a response, though he could still feel the lingering sadness behind the tensai's words. Both of them were still affected, he knew, and both of them would never feel any genuine happiness, made even worse with Fuji's bittersweet happiness as he spent the day with their son yesterday, who was hiding it as much as possible so he could concentrate. Tezuka still felt it however, and silently vowed to win this match for his partner and their son.

-/-

Niou whistled in appreciation when he and rest of the Rikkaidai regulars caught the sight of a public intimate reassurance. "That was some encouragement there."

Taking a glance at the other couple, Yukimura sat down on the bench again; a little surprised that Fuji would go that far. But, then again, the tensai hated to be upstaged, especially when it came to public displays of affection. Humming a little in thought, he watched as Sanada and Tezuka approach the net, listening to the referee's instructions before starting the match.

"Akaya?" He turned his head around, looking at his son, whose expression met halfway between anxiety and excitement. He smiled at the younger teen's anxious look.

"Would you like to sit with me?"

Akaya blinked, his face confused at first, before alighting with comprehension. "S-Seriously? I get to bench coach too?" He can't keep the eagerness out of his voice.

At the captain's smile and nod, he gave a happy shout and vaulted over the bleachers to the side of the courts, getting a short lecture on using the stairs before settling down to sit beside his captain, watching the singles match up close.

-/-

They were facing off in the tennis courts once again, like they did three years ago.

"Tezuka."

Sanada's tone was sharp, concise and hard.

"Sanada."

Tezuka's was likewise, acknowledging the rivalry that started ever since he beat Sanada in elementary school.

"Which?"

"Smooth."

"Right."

"Serve."

"End."

And with that, they turned around and went to their respective positions, with Tezuka serving first. Even before the match started there was an almost palpable tension in the courts, and even those who didn't know the history between the two players knew that they were going to see the match of the tournament. Everyone held their breath as the referee called the start of the match, and as the yellow ball was raised in the air, a pin could be heard dropping audibly in the ground as Tezuka served, light and fast, the ball almost invisible as Sanada countered it at once, starting a high-speed rally of biblical proportions as they lobbed, smashed, volleyed, trying to outdo the other in skill and technique, not even showing their special moves yet.

"W-Wow…" Akaya can't believe his eyes as he watched, almost not following the way the ball tossed back and forth into the court, unable to keep up with the way the players move. "I could barely follow where they're going…"

"They're just gauging the other's power, Akaya. The real match hasn't started yet." Yukimura, on the other hand, could see it perfectly, not pausing in conversation as his blue eyes darted back and forth rapidly. "Soon enough, one of them would slip, and…"

Tezuka barely returned the sudden volley, making the ball arch up in the air, the perfect opportunity for a counter smash.

"Too shallow, Tezuka!" Sanada had the same thought and jumped up, the tennis ball making contact with the center of the racket in a powerful smash that made a black burn just at the corner of the baseline.

"The other would use the opening for a good return." Yukimura finished his explanation, as the referee shouted the score.

"15-0!"

Sanada raised his racket to point at Tezuka's face. "Play seriously. Cheap tricks won't work on me. If you don't, I'll crush you before you get the chance to do so." He returned back to the baseline, not bothering to see Tezuka's expression as they continued their match.

Intense was too weak a word to describe the rest that followed. Neither side held back, still using normal moves, the score painfully rising little by little until the first game was won by Sanada, who looked less than pleased as he returned back to the bench.

"Tezuka's playing me for a fool." He growled. "If he thinks that he's going to… Akaya?" He noticed his son sitting on the bench with his mother, who chuckled at his confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to let him watch your match with Tezuka up close so he'll be inspired later on." Yukimura gave the teen a towel and his drink, scooting to the edge so all of them would fit on the bench. "How is it?"

"He's still not using his Zone. But if he's doing it on purpose, then I'll have to drag it out of him if I have to." Sanada briefly ruffled Akaya's hair. "Don't make too much trouble for your Okaa-san."

"I won't!" Akaya swatted the hand away and pouted, still covering his wild mass of curls. "Go already!"

"Then watch here with your Okaa-san and cheer me on." Sanada stood up and went back into the field, where the match resumed immediately.

If Akaya were to compare this tennis match to one thing, it would be to a one-on-one death match, balancing precariously between life and death, with their respective families on each side, waiting feverishly for each warrior to return to them victorious. His Otou-san would be a samurai; the racket and tennis ball his sword, clashing against the rival clan's head, Tezuka of Seigaku, while his Okaa-san would be the wife watching and hoping faithfully for his success, while he would be the son who would inherit his father's legacy, the heir, the person, if his father failed, who would be the one to restore his family's dignity.

Akaya felt tense, the pressure starting to weigh on his shoulders as the players before him unleashed their signature tennis moves, his father's FuuRinKaZan, Tezuka's Zero-Shiki Drop and his Zone. He watched, gaping, as his father managed to destroy Tezuka Zone with his Ka smash, finally making a 3-all tie against Seigaku.

"A-Awesome…" He didn't realize that he was half-standing, visibly shaking, eyes intent on the scene before him. "Otou-san is… awesome… I…"

Yukimura smiled, stopping his son as the latter leaned closer, wanting to see the match in its entirety. "Akaya, calm down and sit." The match was far from over.

But he could sense a weakening in his vice-captain, who he now watched carefully. Was he injured? No, that doesn't seem to be the case. But… Yukimura was starting to worry, eyes widening as Sanada barely missed a volley that he could have easily returned. What was wrong?

-/-

_Damn it… _Sanada thought as his racket just managed to tap the ball, making it go out of bounds, sending the two of them in a deuce. He had used too much of his stamina using Ka, and now its effects were starting to show on his body. While normally he would hold back from using it, as it drained away massive amounts of his strength, he had used it to break Tezuka Zone, just to rattle the other captain's mind, to warn him that there was a way for him to break through the infamous Zone. He had intended to finish the match as quickly as possible, but Tezuka was more persistent than he looked, and he had underestimated Tezuka's determination.

This was bad… his vision was starting to blur. But he had to make sure that Tezuka didn't realize this, not that he thought the brunet teen would take advantage of it, but he hated looking weak in front of his long-time rival.

'_Game to Tezuka, 4 games to 3!'_

He shook his head the moment the whistle blew, cursing himself for letting Tezuka take a game from him, ignoring the Seigaku captain's gaze upon him as he returned back to the bench, immediately catching his spouse's worried look.

"Genichirou, what's wrong?" Yukimura asked quietly, catching his sleeve.

"I'm just a bit tired, that's all." Sanada took a drink, taking slow, deep breaths, feeling more exhausted now that he wasn't moving. "I'm sorry; I'll finish this match quickly."

"Gen–" Yukimura was interrupted by the changing of courts, but it didn't lessen his anxiety a bit. He could see it now, the slower reaction time, the more haphazard movements, the less than perfect returns…

"Okaa-san… there's something wrong with Otou-san." And Akaya had noticed as well. Yukimura shook his head, not letting his faith in his spouse waver.

"Ka must've worn him down more than I thought." Yukimura murmured, his fears taking on a worse turn. For the first time, Sanada might actually lose.

"No way…!" Akaya's head whipped back to the courts, watching his father playing, his actions slow enough for the second year to see the very visible flaws in technique.

"Tou-san…! Tou-san can't lose! He can't!"

'_Game to Tezuka, 5 games to 3!'_

-/-

Sanada had never experienced his stamina hitting this all-time low. He had a stable endurance even before playing tennis, and frequent practice only strengthened it, so why was he feeling this now? Tezuka seemed to have caught on to his lack of stamina, but, like the person he was, still gave up an honorable fight, not even having the decency to rub Sanada's weakness in his face, making him begrudge and respect the other teen more.

"Am I… really this weak…" His lips bared in a humorless smile as another ball slipped past him. Really, was all the hard work he put out for this one match reduced to nothing? Was Tezuka really stronger than he was? Was he… was he going to be second-rate to Tezuka for the rest of life? The racket slipped from his fingers as he sunk to the ground, having no energy to stand anymore as sweat streamed down in rivulets on his skin. He couldn't see anything… all he could hear was the sound of his own breathing… the cheers of Seigaku as they saw the Emperor bowing down to their Pillar… and the voice of his son, yelling at him to stand up, to not give up just yet, that the match wasn't over.

"STAND UP! FUKUBUCHOU, STAND UP! YOU'RE BETTER THAN THIS! YOU… YOU CAN'T LOSE! YOU CAN'T LOSE TO SEIGAKU NOW! PLEASE… OTOU-SAN, PLEASE STAND UP!"

His shout quieted the stands, murmurs rippling out as questions surfaced.

"Otou-san? What did he mean by that?"

"Does he mean Sanada?"

"That's impossible! But…"

But Sanada didn't notice. His world stilled. Something in Sanada broke, his limits shattering as he looked up, seeing Akaya standing, still shouting, the words incoherent in his ears as his gaze travelled to the person behind his son, looking at him with such trust and faith, his expression soft , the angelic face seemingly saying one thing as he nodded once.

_Win._

Sanada bent his head down, a smile threatening to break out from his face as he shook his head, unable to believe that his son was broadcasting their secret to the world, and his pathetic show of hopelessness. Akaya was right. The match wasn't over. It would never be over until the referee announced a win.

Slowly he stood up, his body filling with newfound strength as he exhaled a breath, his determination and resolve doubling. He flashed his eyes towards Tezuka, intending to show what he was truly made of.

"I pity you, Tezuka." He was dribbling the tennis ball, preparing for his serve. "And I consider myself extremely lucky."

He raised his hand up, the ball in mid-air as he shouted.

"That my son could enable me to reach greater heights!"

-/-

Tezuka's eyes widened as the ball went past him, unable to see it's trajectory as Sanada gave a service-ace. Sanada still had that kind of strength, even when they were already in the middle of the match? He stood upright, Sanada's words digging into his heart as he gave a darkened glare. Sanada knew perfectly that it was a low blow, to use the empathy against him, but he wouldn't put it past Sanada to do that.

Rikkaidai would do anything to win, even if it meant psychologically incapacitating their opponent at the last moment.

He countered the best he could, but the Rikkai vice-captain's tennis seemed to take a more ferocious level, and the words the other teen imparted left a searing gash in his heart. Sanada was gaining ground again, ending the game with a 6-all tiebreak, losing any advantage Tezuka might have gained in the first-half of the match.

Damn. The pain was almost physical. Tezuka trudged back to the bench, not wanting to see Coach Ryuuzaki's sympathetic face as he buried his face in the towel.

"Tezuka, can you still continue?" He nodded, lifting his chin to look at the older woman, who was looking at the regulars behind her.

"Fuji, Ryoma, bench coach for me."

Tezuka was startled, and Fuji was surprised as well. "Sensei, I–"

"You need their support, Tezuka." She smiled kindly. "Especially him in this time of the match." She nodded to the younger, who looked understandably confused at the order. "Rikkaidai's already doing it, so I don't see why we shouldn't do it as well." She clapped him on the back, standing up from the bench and ushering Fuji and Echizen to replace her.

"Y-Yes…" Fuji sat down first, with the freshman following close behind. Tezuka looked at his son, who stared back at him with the detachment of a kouhai to his senpai, no flicker of recognition in his features. Seeing him look at him like that made the pain worse, and Tezuka wordlessly returned back to the match, fearing that if he did speak, he might not be able to continue anymore.

-/-

Ryoma felt lost. His head started pounding the moment he heard a Rikkaidai regular shout and it steadily worsened, escalating when he he heard the declaration out loud, making him unable to concentrate on the match at hand. He winced, making the tensai look at him somewhat worriedly.

"Are you feeling all right, Echizen?"

"Y-Yeah…" He closed an eye as a particular hard jab at the side of his head happened. "I'm fine, senpai."

What was going on? Everything… everything was falling apart. He can't understand anything that was happening, and hearing those words made it worse. What was he? Why did he feel so affected by everything they did?

Just… just who was he?

A sudden gasp made him look up, and he saw his captain with one knee on the ground, unable to return the quick shot Sanada delivered, already pushed back as far as he could go. They were losing. Fast.

'_Point to Sanada, 89-88!'_

-/-

Fuji bit his lip. He should do something, but can't act openly with the restrictions imposed on him by their oath. Their oath physically stopped them from telling their children of their parentage, and even the merest hint of it would be immediately detained. He hazarded a look beside him. His son looked conflicted, which was a good sign that he wasn't as oblivious to it as he was before. What should he do? The only way they could win now was to ease his spouse's empathic pain, but how could he could that, when he can't even tell his son who he really was?

He gasped out loud when he saw the other brunet dive, missing the tennis ball my millimeters as they went in court.

Tezuka was already exhausted, he could see it clearly. It was all he could do to return the fast shots and swift spins, and unwittingly shouted out loud as Tezuka sunk to the ground this time.

"Mitsu, NO!"

It was jarring to hear Fuji Shuusuke sound so upset. Ryoma didn't realize how much it bothered him until he felt the anger and worry swell up in him, his eyes narrowing dangerously at his captain's opponent before turning to the tensai beside him.

"Fuji-senpai, are you–"

He never got to finish as a pair of hands held his shoulders firmly, and he was pinned down by piercing blue eyes filled with distress.

"Please, Ryoma… help him. Remember… remember who you are. You may not remember, but… I… Tezuka…" Fuji felt the constricting in his throat, and he swallowed, rearranging his thoughts, before continuing. "He needs your help. You're the only one who could."

_Please help your father. Realize who you are, Ryoma. Please remember that you're our child._

"Fuji…senpai…" What was he trying to say? Almost desperately the younger teen searched the sapphire orbs for the truth, to understand everything.

**Echizen-kun, sometimes we cannot see the truth because it is right in front of our eyes. **

Small fragments of a memory started to surface. A soft giggle, a pair of gentle, warm arms cradling him carefully, and a soothing voice, touching him as if he was porcelain that was easily broken. A pair of cerulean orbs was looking at him, and suddenly he was looking straight at a young but mature face, a small smile betraying the serious features.

"_**Ryo-chan, that's your father."**_

Those faces looked familiar… they looked like…

**So take a few steps back…**

He tore his gaze away from the older teen to look at the courts, to see if he wasn't mistaken. It can't be. It was impossible. But…

… **To see it more clearly.**

And like smudged glass shattering to let the sunlight in, Echizen Ryoma finally knew everything.

"…Okaa-san."

The genuine smile given to him was more than enough to erase any doubts he had. Fuji gave his son a tight hug, happy tears springing in his eyes. At last. Finally, he came back to them.

"That's my Ryo-chan."

-/-

Tezuka didn't expect the shout that came from the benches, especially when it was the voice of his spouse's. In slight alarm he looked to the side, his concentration broken, which Sanada used as an opportunity for a finishing smash.

"Where are you looking, Tezuka!"

The ball was on his side before he knew it, and the point went to Sanada, who gave him a short, level look before retiring back to the bleachers, their score currently 134-135 in Sanada's favor.

He didn't realize how tired he was. It was all he could do to make his limbs move, to return to the bench with as much dignity as he could, and what greeted him was a smile, the heavenly, happy smile that he hadn't seen for quite a while.

He was stunned. "Shuusuke…"

"Mitsu." Fuji was smiling brilliantly, his arm around their son, who looked to be halfway between in an epiphany and complete and utter shock. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine." Never mind what he felt, he was more concerned for his son at the moment. "Shuusuke, he…"

"Come on, Ryoma, stand up and meet him." Fuji gently coaxed the freshman up, who was unable to meet his eyes. "Don't be shy, though he looks vicious, he doesn't bite, I assure you." He chuckled, giving the other brunet an amused look. Tezuka raised an eyebrow at this, with Fuji teasing him like that; he looked to be much better now than the past days combined.

And then he realized the use of Fuji's use of their son's first name. His eyes widened.

_Don't tell me that…_

Large, golden brown eyes now looked up him, almost the same shade as his own.

"You're… my father." Ryoma stated as he continued to look at his captain, certainty in his features as he saw the similarity in their eyes. He can't be mistaken this time. This teenager standing right in front of him... was his biological father.

Tezuka didn't have anything to say except,

"Yes."

"…Then don't lose." A hint of the familiar smirk was returning to the younger teen's face. "It would suck if my Tou-san would lose against Sanada-san."

Tezuka opened his mouth, gaped, and closed it wordlessly, a barely-there smile starting to play on his lips.

"You take after your mother too much." He gave a pointed look to Fuji, who only chuckled.

"Well, you are still mada mada dane." Ryoma full out smirked this time, his cockiness returning back full force. "Win, Otou-san."

An encouraging look at his brunet spouse, and he returned back to the courts, his mood uplifted, now able to play without any worries or restrictions.

If it was a match Sanada wanted, then it was a match he would get.

-/-

The match continued, but Sanada noticed a change in his opponent, not easily noticeable, but still there, nevertheless. And he instantly knew why, and with a quick glance to Yukimura, he instantly confirmed it.

Echizen now knew the truth. The moment that thought hit him his lips upturned in a smile.

He would finally have the match he wanted.

-/-

The score climbed steadily, as the two players played with renewed vigor. Despite the exhaustion and strain that tolled on their bodies, their pride wouldn't let them stop, and it was only the chance of fate that the ball got caught up in the net, finishing the Singles-3 match once and for all.

'_Game and match to Tezuka, 7 games to 6!'_

The crowd burst with scattered applause and cheers, praising the two warriors who have fought until the end. Sanada and Tezuka met on the net, sharing a firm handshake, their arms rising simultaneously in acknowledgement of the other's strength. Tezuka gave Sanada a look of gratitude as their eyes met, bowing his head a little before returning back to their side, instantly being hugged by Fuji, who dragged their son along for a family hug.

"That was a good match." Yukimura said softly, standing up and cradling his spouse's face in his hands, who looked dejected.

"I'm sorry, Seiichi, Akaya… I wasn't able to win." Sanada inclined his head slightly, sighing. But he was startled as Akaya chose that moment to jump between the two of them, burying his face in the older raven's tennis jersey as he shook his head quickly.

"No! Otou-san, it's okay!" He raised his head and gave the third year a determined look. "Don't worry; I'll win your place! I promise!"

"It's all right." Yukimura smiled at the two of the most important people in his life. "At least something good came out of it."

Both of them looked at the other side of the courts, watching the new reunited family for a moment, before turning to each other, also sweeping up their son in a close embrace, savoring the moment for as long as possible.

"Then I'll hold on to your promise, Akaya."

"Yes! I'll definitely win Singles-1!"

* * *

I concentrated on the Tezuka vs. Sanada match more, and yes, Seigaku's family is finally reunited, which would create new tension in the next matches, particularly Singles-1. The third spinoff has two more chapters left, which in case I would have another spinoff of the spinoff, **Tennis Heirs**, focusing on Seigaku and Hyotei, as well as the other middle schools.

Just two more chapters and the tournament saga will be over! Please look forward to it!

Reviews and comments appreciated.

**_Mitsukai20_**


	11. Calm Before the Storm

**Spinoff III-I: Calm Before the Storm **

After Singles-3 there was a two-hour break for lunch, and the teams had dispersed to eat together, and some to warm-up before their matches. Seigaku was in high spirits, especially their tensai and their captain, who was actually smiling as they all settled down, Ryoma getting almost smothered by his brunet mother while the rest of the regulars looked on amusingly, almost feeling sorry for him with the way Fuji clung to him.

"You are never going to be out of my side again, Ryoma. Do you understand?" Fuji poked a finger into the freshman's chest before cuddling him again, oblivious to the fact that his son was straining to get a breath of air.

"Okaa-san… can't breathe…"

Yes, it was a very happy day for the reunited Tezuka family.

-/-

Sanada yawned, quickly bringing up his hand to his mouth to stifle it. He leaned his back against the trunk of a very stately tree, closing his eyes, feeling the coolness of the wind touch his face as he rested under the shade. He was far away from the courts, wanting to have some peace and quiet and had managed to find the semi-private seclusion of trees nearby. He could still hear the people around, as well as the speakers, but, so far, his team hadn't managed to find him yet, and knew that it was a matter of time before the serenity would be destroyed. He left himself getting lightheaded, and tried not to sleep in a place like this, but he felt extremely tired.

He was startled when he felt a touch of coldness pressed against his cheek, and quickly opened his eyes. Yukimura Seiichi hovered over him, half-standing, half-bending, a softdrink in hand as he gave his vice-captain a smile.

"I found you."

"Seiichi." He wasn't surprised to see his future spouse standing there, just marveling at the fact that he found him so quickly. "Where are the others?"

"I managed to convince them that I'll look for you alone." The captain handed him the drink and sat down, looking sideways at the raven as he chuckled. "I knew you wanted to rest for a bit."

Popping the can open he took a sip, the carbonated sugar exploded in his mouth, and he gave the other a quizzical look, knowing that Yukimura knew that he didn't like sweet things very much.

"Sweet things are better when you're tired." Yukimura leaned back just as another light breeze passed by, ruffling their hair. "And I know that after that match with Tezuka, you'll be quite exhausted."

Sometimes Sanada was disturbed on how well the blue-haired teen knew him. He observed Yukimura quietly from the rim of his can, shifting his gaze away once in a while, immersed in his thoughts. It scared him that there was a person who could discover his secrets so easily, to see through the façades he created completely, to hold his heart completely hostage to be used or discarded as he pleased. They were just teenagers, and yet Sanada never expected for himself to fall this quickly, to love so deeply, to grow up so quickly, to have a son this early. Just what about Yukimura Seiichi enthralled him? Was it because the other teen was kind? Gentle, loving? Was it because he was strong, powerful? Or was it because he was so enchantingly beautiful?

Yukimura caught him staring and quirked his lips up, looking at his vice-captain affectionately.

"What is it, Genichirou?"

"Seiichi, why…" There were many things he wanted to ask, Sanada thought, taking a deep gulp, but he opted for the simplest question.

"Why me?" He asked quietly.

"'Why me', you ask…" Yukimura propped one knee up, letting an arm rest on it before looking off in the distance, quietly mulling over the question. "Why not you? You're strong, kind and gentle. It didn't hurt that you're also good-looking." He chuckled a bit at this thoughts, earnestly honest with his response. "Apart from my family, I've known you longer than I've lived my life. You're my best friend, Genichirou." He felt a bit flushed with the confession, his hand playing with a stray leaf he picked up from the ground, feeling as if he was confessing all over again. "I trusted you, I liked you, I fell in love with you. Isn't that a good enough reason to choose you?"

"But…" Sanada looked away, his drink half-finished, still not convinced with the reason. "Before Akaya was born, you blamed me, and…" Sanada wouldn't think about that time anymore. It was too painful to think about, even up to now.

Yukimura sighed back. "Can you blame me? We were twelve then, Genichirou. It's not like having Akaya was a priority of mine. I had a lot of dreams then, and…" He exhaled another breath, not wanting to go down further. "We had to grow up faster. Akaya was an… unexpected surprise for us, after all." There was a soft smile of his face now. "But I've never regretted it. I never regretted my choices back then. Even though we weren't ready yet, we were prepared to throw away our lives, our future, for Akaya's. He's our baby, after all."

And as Sanada stared at him, he found himself falling in love again. He didn't need a reason to love Yukimura Seiichi. He loved him, his flaws and weaknesses, his beauty and complete majesty, his selflessness and dedication, and counted himself truly lucky that such an angel chose him.

"That's right." Sanada shook his head, unable to believe that moment of self-doubt. "Thank you."

"Did I assure you now, my future husband?" Yukimura giggled a bit, placing his other hand on top of Sanada's. "I will always choose you. Remember that."

Sanada smiled, before closing his eyes again and leaning his head back to the trunk, feeling, despite the sugar rush, quite drowsy. He turned his palm up, interlacing their fingers together, before falling into a light slumber, despite his attempts to chase it off a few moments before.

"Gen…" Yukimura didn't hear a reply, and just as he was to turn beside him, a weight suddenly leaned on his side, a head tucking itself to his shoulder as Sanada slept deeper, his hand curling around Yukimura's, his breaths evening out and slowing down.

He could be so stubborn sometimes, Yukimura thought fondly, gently taking off the black cap that rested on the vice-captain's head. "If you had wanted to sleep, you could've just told me." He turned his head and placed a gentle kiss in the soft, raven locks, blue eyes softening as he unloosened their joined hands and stretched out his legs, carefully guiding Sanada's head to his lap, threading his fingers through the short strands of jet-black hair as he pushed Sanada's back on the cool grass. Sanada sighed, falling into a deeper slumber, but not before catching Yukimura's hand that rested on his stomach, once again lacing their fingers together as the tension in his body disappeared.

Yukimrura chuckled, continuing to ruffle his vice-captain's hair, more than content to just sit there and stare at his spouse's innocent, sleeping face. He didn't have the heart to wake him up, and it was a rare chance to see Sanada so relaxed and unguarded, seemingly melting the years away from the mature face as Sanada slept on, oblivious to the tender look Yukimura gave him.

Raising their intertwined fingers the captain gave a kiss to the tanned knuckles, all the while stroking the sleeping teen's head.

"Sweet dreams, Genichirou."

-/-

The two hour break was over, and the match between Seigaku and Rikkaidai was resuming, with the Singles-2 match about to begin at any moment, but Rikkaidai's captain and vice-captain was still nowhere to be found, much to Akaya's confusion and worry. He arrived at their spot, and still not seeing them, he became even more anxious.

"Ne, senpai-tachi, have you seen Otou-san and Okaa-san?" He asked, voice quiet enough to be heard by the rest of the regulars, but not the people on the bleachers. "Have they come back yet?"

"Well, Yukimura said that he's going to look for Sanada…" Jackal said thoughtfully as he shared a concerned look with the others. "Do you think that they may be something's holding them both off?"

"I wouldn't worry about them." Marui shrugged. "I think they're just around, doing… _stuff_." He smirked, exchanging a knowing look with Niou, when they were both promptly whacked in the head by Yagyuu.

"Kirihara-kun, why don't you try looking for them?" The Gentleman suggested, ignoring his teammates' pitiful whine of pain and protest. "It's still quite a while before Yanagi-kun's match. If you hurry, I'm sure that you'll be able to find them."

"Right!" Akaya nodded firmly and sped off determinedly, waving to his seniors, starting to look for the familiar yellow and black jersey among the crowd. Finding no sign of them around the vicinity of the courts, he started for the less populated places, bypassing the Hyotei group, who was just starting for the bleachers to watch the match. Choutarou stared as the curly-haired teen disappeared from his sight, wondering what had gotten the Rikkai player running around at a time like this.

"Choutarou." His father was looking at him concernedly. "Is there something worrying Ore-sama's son?"

"O-Oh, it's nothing, Otou-sama. I just saw something… interesting."

-/-

"Okaa-san!" Akaua burst through the shrubbery, finally catching the sight of his captain sitting under the shade of a large tree, who looked up and merely smiled as he saw his son. Yukimura momentarily stopped running his hands through Sanada's hair and raised a finger to his lips, indicating quiet, gesturing silently to the sleeping vice-captain lying on his lap.

Akaya blinked as he slowly took in the scene. "Otou…san…"

"He's resting right now for the moment, Akaya. He's feeling very tired." Yukimura explained, his voice soft, resuming his previous action of stroking Sanada's hair. Akaya stayed rooted to the spot, a blush entering his features, suddenly feeling as if he barged in on a very private and special moment.

"I-Is that so…" As much as he tried to, he can't tear his eyes away at the scene. It was his first time to see his mother so devoted, to have that kind of expression on his face, to look so enamored and at the same time so protective of his father. He seemed to gently hold his father in his arms, to care for him like he was a precious treasure. It was love in its purest, most beautiful form, and Akaya can't help but be fascinated and envious at the same time.

"Akaya, come here." The captain beckoned to him, and Akaya edged forward, almost dropping beside his mother. Both of them shared a quiet laugh at the unassuming, almost innocent look on Sanada's face, with Akaya unable to believe that the person laying down and sleeping right at moment was his strict, stoic, mature-looking father.

"Is this... really Otou-san?" He asked in slight disbelief at the teenager below. "He looks so… _young_."

"He is just fifteen, Akaya." Yukimura pointed out, giggling as he brushed away the hair that covered Sanada's face. "Besides, he looks rather cute, don't you think?"

Both of them shared another laugh at that, with Akaya nodding, half-wishing that he had a camera at that moment so he could record this momentous event of seeing his vice-captain so unguarded. The announcement of the resuming matches interrupted their good time, however, and he quickly jumped up.

"Okaa-san, the others are waiting for you. It's time for Singles-2 against Seigaku."

"Akaya, would you mind doing something for me?"

"O-Of course not, Okaa-san! What is it?"

Yukimura looked up, after observing Sanada's face after a while.

"Please bench coach in my place for Singles-2." He smiled softly at his son. "If possible, I would like some more time here with your father. I don't want to wake him up yet." He patted the fluff of dark hair. "Don't worry, we'll be back to watch Singles-1, so can you tell the others not to worry?"

"… All right…" Akaya, a little uncertain, turned back to the courts, but not before giving one glance beside him. Yukimura was still looking at him, waving when he caught the eyes of the second-year.

"Be careful."

Yukimura watched as Akaya ran out of the clearing, leaving him behind. He hummed thoughtfully, chuckling as the speakers announced the start of the Rikkaidai vs. Seigaku match.

"Well then… it looks like I'll have to miss Singles-2…"

-/-

"Akaya." Yanagi looked up and smiled as the second year returned back to the courts, panting and exhausted. "Have you found the both of them?"

"Y-yeah…" Akaya pressed his palms against his knees, drawing another breath. "Okaa-san said… that he'll return later… with Otou-san…" He still couldn't get that image out of his mind. Both of them looks so peaceful, serene and… _complete_. He blushed, cheeks just the lightest shade of pink, just enough for Yanagi to get the wrong idea.

"Is that so?" Yanagi didn't ask any more questions, merely took off his jacket and put in on the bench. "You'll be my bench coach, I'll presume?" He smiled slightly, staring at Akaya, who remembered what he had to do and nodded. "Yanagi-senpai, who's your opponent?"

"It's Sadaharu." Yanagi looked at the other side of the courts where Seigaku's own data man was preparing for the match. "We meet on the courts once again."

"I don't like him." The second year crossed his arms and huffed, feeling very irritated at the tall, bespectacled teen for some reason he can't understand. Yanagi glanced at him quizzically for a moment, thinking, before an almost imperceptible smile appeared on his face, as if discovering a secret that only he knew.

"Don't worry. He's my childhood friend." Briefly he ruffled the black locks, chuckling as Akaya yelped in surprise and blinked up at him. "I'll win."

"W-What do you mean, Yanagi-senpai!" Akaya was both confused and relieved at the words the older teen gave him. Don't worry? About the match? Of course he wasn't worried about it; he was sure that his senpai would win no matter what. But… why did he feel as if some big burden from his shoulders disappeared instantly?

"Think about it." They were calling him now to stand on the court, and Yanagi turned, intending to start the match.

"Senpai, wait!" Akaya didn't know what came over him. All he knew was that, the moment the older brunet turned his back on him, he suddenly had a feeling that he had to stop him, to not let him go yet. Before he knew it, he was half-standing, his fingers catching the arm of Yanagi's sleeve, pulling him back, a trace of fear in his voice.

"Akaya?" Yanagi felt the hand of his bicep and turned halfway, a look of curiosity in his face. Green eyes blinked, and Akaya was suddenly aware of what he was doing. He immediately released the arm, stuttering, face heating up as his arm flailed, trying to explain what he was doing.

"A-Ah! Um, I was just–! I didn't mean to, I just wanted to–!"

"What, Akaya?" Seeing Yanagi's smiling face made him even more embarrassed, and Akaya looked away, finally deciding not to make a fool of himself anymore.

"I just wanted to wish you… good luck." He muttered, decidedly not making eye contact, face still red. "And… don't lose."

"If that's what you want, then I'll do it." Yanagi bowed his head for a fraction before going to the courts, leaving Akaya red-faced and his heart pounding, wondering what the heck was _that_ all about.

-/-

'_Game and Match to Rikkaidai Fuzoku, 7 games to 6!'_

"Good work, Renji." Yukimura smiled as the speakers sounded the announcement. Yukimura thought that the match was fought longer than the rest, since it _was_ Renji he was talking about. Looking at his watch he realized that he was watching over Sanada for almost three and a half hours, more than enough time for his vice-captain to rest and recuperate. Connecting the lines together, he chuckled, internally thanking Renji for his thoughtfulness. It was about time before Singles-1 to start, and he promised Akaya that both of them would be there to watch.

"Genichirou, wake up." Lightly he tapped his fingers on Sanada's cheek. "It's time for Singles-1."

"Urgh…" Slowly but surely the vice-captain returned back to the land of the awake, his vision still blurry from sleep. "Seii…chi?"

"Yes, dear, now stand up." Yukimura can't stop chuckling, especially when his spouse looked like a lost, confused child at the moment. "You've been sleeping for three hours already."

"I… was?" Sanada rubbed his eyes, trying to get them back in focus. As he did so, the image of his captain appeared above him, eyes glittering and wearing the sweetest smile he'd seen. He blinked, eyes widening, before shooting up at once, just barely missing Yukimura's bent head as he took note of his surroundings. "What time is it?"

"Just a little before 4." Yukimura answered complacently, trying his best not to move his legs, which were starting to prickle. "It's time for Singles-1." He didn't have any complaints about pillowing his spouse's head, he only wished that he could escape the almost ticklish sensation that he would feel soon enough. "You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't have the heart to wake you up."

"Ha…" Sanada shook his head, clearing most of his drowsiness away. He looked back, seeing the captain smile fondly back at him. "So we missed Singles-2?"

"Renji won, if that's what you're asking." Yukimura tried to stand up, but he was just feeling his legs back, and instantly sat back down, feeling slightly sheepish when Sanada caught him by the arm. "I can't move my legs for a while. Sorry."

Sanada shook his head. "Do you want me to carry you? " He asked seriously. It was the least he could do after being watched over by his spouse for a few hours.

"Just let me lean on you. I don't–" Yukimura stiffened as bolts of prickling pain attacked his whole leg. "Want to use it yet."

Sanada nodded, carefully pulling Yukimura back up, with him wincing once in a while as he leaned on his more muscular vice-captain, cheek pressed to the crook of his shoulder, an arm wrapped around his waist. "Better?"

Yukimura nodded, a bit embarrassed that they had to go out there with him looking so... vulnerable. But it's going to Akaya's turn to play now, and what kind of a parent would he be if he wouldn't even go to his own son's game?

"Let's go."

-/-

The Rikkaidai regulars unabashedly stared as they both saw their captain and vice-captain enter their sight, the former none-the-worse for wear, almost limping, the latter looking the same, if not a bit worried.

It was Niou who broke the silence.

"Do I really want to know what happened to Yukimura?" He was smirking widely, which left no guesses on what he was thinking right now. It took Sanada awhile to realize the innuendo behind his words, and his sudden flush didn't really help disapprove the theory that was running in their minds.

"T-Tarundoru." He set Yukimura down gently, who was chuckling and stayed silent, letting their minds run wild, even adding to the fuel as he remarked, "Thank you Genichirou. But I'd like to be able to walk next time." His blue eyes twinkled mischievously.

"I-I understand. I'm sorry." Sanada muttered back, sitting beside him, knowing that Yukimura didn't appreciate the fact that he was half-carried all the way back when his legs were already somewhat okay halfway through. "I'll be careful next time."

"I know you will." It was said in a cheeky tone, and set the rest of Rikkaidai off in a frenzy of laughter, Niou and Marui having stitches in their sides as they roared their way off the bleachers, Jackal and Yagyuu restraining the smiles that threatened to split their laughably straight faces. Sanada blushed a deep red as he glared darkly at his teammates, which wouldn't have been half as effective as his old one if not for his pink cheeks and ears.

"Well, it seems that all of you are enjoying yourselves at Genichirou's misery." Yanagi finally came back with Akaya in tow, looking amusedly at the others, with Sanada growling dangerously at his best friend, who, again, had their son's hand clasped in his own. "Akaya did a wonderful job being by bench coach, so rest easy, Genichirou." He added with a light teasing tone.

"Renji…" Thankfully the rest were saved from further conversation as the speakers announced the last match of the day, one that will determine complete victory, or total defeat.

'_Singles-1 will be commencing shortly! Players, please enter the courts! I repeat…!'_

"Singles-1, huh…" Yukimura took his place once again as bench coach while Akaya flailed, completely forgetting that he was the one who was going to play. With a smile and a coaxing glance Sanada joined his captain on the bench, watching as their son finally got his act together, standing in front of them, face flushed with excitement and anticipation.

"Are you ready, Akaya? Nervous?" The Rikkai captain asked gently, and Akaya quickly shook his head. "I'll be fine, Kaa-san! I'm ready!"

"Your opponent's Echizen, or should I say, Tezuka Ryoma." Sanada added with a glance to the other side, seeing both Tezuna and Fuji bench coaching talking to the freshman. "Do your best."

"Yes! Rikkaidai will win! I'll avenge your defeat, Otou-san!" The second year nodded resolutely and faced the court, his battlefield, the Seigaku player doing the same.

It was the do or die Finals match.

* * *

... Should I say "I'm back?" ^^

**_Mitsukai20_**


End file.
